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Keep Christ in Christmas

I haven't always been a fan of the 'attack on the attack on Christmas' movement over the last few years. Honestly before it was popular, I thought "Happy Holidays" was a great way to express a greeting to someone throughout December. Something, however, has gotten my attention throughout the last few years.

Crosses are being removed from public areas, freedom of speech for Christian students and workers has been attacked, secularism of corporate America and the government have grown incredibly, and church attendance has continued to decline. Crime and family depravity are on the rise, horrendous news articles about shootings and child abductions are all too frequent, and even as the most prosperous nation in written history - we have families who are struggling to put food on the table.

Society as we know it is in a downward spiral, but must we so quickly and forcefully abandon our faith? I fear for the world that my children will know when they trade in their kid goggles for an adult worldview. I pray for our country, that we still allow all to have freedom of religion and freedom to worship as we see fit, but not at the expense of our foundation that is found in Christ.

I do believe that the idea of America is influenced by God. He gave us the free will to choose to believe in him or to look elsewhere, he would want a country, a people, a society that willfully gives homage to Christ when we had the choice to worship anything from God to nothing. America is divinely inspired, and our founders knew what they were getting into when they signed their declaration.

As we not only abandon our faith, but attack those initial convictions of our foundation, we are doing more than just attacking the symbols of Christianity, we are attacking the fabric that holds us - Christian and non- Christian alike, and we will fail as a society as the result.

I am fearful of what is on the horizon, but I do have hope. We are not lost, just off track a bit. We find ourselves today with a choice of which road to go down. It's the straight and narrow road or the wide and shallow road, if you will. It begins with us, who know the truth, to take action. Certainly it is great if we can protect those crosses and those freedoms that we enjoy, but I am talking about taking action in the hearts and minds of men and women, children and families, schools and at work. We can display the love of Christ by taking notice in the family that appears to have clothes that are in need of replacement, or the kids who seem hungry quite often, or the co-worker who would prefer to go to the bar than home to their family. You see, the rest of society hasn't taken Christ out of Christmas or out of our society, because Christ is right here in us. We can make a difference in the small things we do and the example - the legacy that we leave behind.

When future generations think back to this current body of Christ, let it be said of us that we were strong in our faith until the very end and that we took the straight and narrow road. Let us keep Christ in Christmas by keeping Christ in us.

In Christ,

Jon

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