10 Mistakes Churches Make at Christmastime

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By Jonathan Howe

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year. Some would even say it’s the most wonderful time of the year. While it still has its wonderment, Christmastime has a tendency to be stressful as well—especially in the church. Unfortunately stress can lead churches to plan poorly and make unnecessary mistakes. Here are ten such mistakes to avoid in your church this Christmas:

  1. Missing the focus. This may seem basic, but please keep the birth of Christ as the focus in your church this year. Everywhere people turn at Christmas, they see Santa, presents, and all the other material trappings of the holiday. The church should be one place where people can be reminded of the true reason to celebrate—the coming of the Christ.
  2. Decorations outpace invitations. We talk a lot about outward focus vs. inward focus on the blog and podcast. This is the Christmas version of that tension. While nothing is inherently wrong with decorations, when members are more focused on what the church looks like than whom they’re bringing with them, there’s a problem. Remind your people that it’s more important to focus on who’s in the pews than what’s on the walls.
  3. Scrooge serves on the greeter team. Jim Collins’ popular “seat on the bus” paradigm fits well with volunteer teams. Make sure you not only have enough people volunteering for Christmas services (because you’ll likely have larger crowds), but also make sure you have the right people in the right places. No one wants to meet Scrooge…

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Click here to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Thom Rainer.

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North Korea missile reports prompt prayer plea

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North Korea missile reports prompt prayer plea

A Christian peer who founded a parliamentary group to monitor North Korea also encouraged believers to pray that China might exercise wisdom as its key mediator.

Co-chair of the group, Lord Alton, told Premier: “Wisdom should be at the forefront of the situation on all sides in dealing with North Korea.

“Simply increasing the retoric and name-calling makes a dangerous situation even more dangerous.”

 

Officials in South Korea and the United States have been monitoring the trajectory of the missile, which Seoul claims launched from an early north of Pyongyang early on Wednesday.

Urging North Korea to adher to cease actions which might esalate tensions, China aso said it was “seriously concerned” by the apparent latest missle launch.

The test was condenmed as a “provocative action” by Russia, which warned the move could damage efforts to resolve the ongoing crisis.

Lord Alton added: “I am not surprised that they [the North Koreans] have cranked up the rachet, this is something that they have done seriously.”

Click here to listen to Premier’s Alex Williams speaking with David Alton:

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Experts Say Holiday Decor Carry Allergens

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By Denise See , Christian Post Contributor |
REUTERS/Gary CameronA family searches for the perfect Christmas tree, December 6, 2015.

Christmastime is coming, and for many families, that means shopping for a new Christmas tree. However, experts have revealed that Christmas trees may pose certain health hazards.

According to the Daily Mail, Christmas trees may trigger allergic reactions in people and could be a hazard for those who have asthma. This is comparable to hay fever experienced by many in the summer.

“Currently around one in five people suffer from hay fever in the UK and NHS Choices report that indoor allergies are very common and that around ten to 20 percent of the population has an indoor allergy,” HayMax allergen barrier creator Max Wiseberg said.

Wiseberg continued, “And we can’t even escape it at Christmas time as the mold, pollen, and dust collecting on our Christmas tree can trigger symptoms.”

In order to avoid these health risks, real Christmas trees should be dusted or cleaned before bringing them into the house. By doing this, allergens are minimized. The trees should also stay in a part of the house that is not prone to much heat.

But, real Christmas trees are not the only holiday décor that pose these health risks. Artificial Christmas trees can also collect dust while stored away. These fake trees are best dusted off by wiping them down with a damp cloth. Plastic bags should also be used when storing Christmas decorations — or any decorations for that matter — in order to avoid the accumulation of dust.

While a lot of families prefer using…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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What are the 12 Days of Christmas?

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Most of us probably know the 12 Days of Christmas as a carol about increasingly grandiose gifts given at each passing day, but in the Christian faith, the feast commemorates the Nativity of Jesus Christ, the savior who entered the world of man in profound humility.

REUTERS/Mussa QawasmaFireworks explode during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony outside the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem.

The 12 Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, is celebrated differently by various denominations, cultures, and nations. Most Western ecclesiastical traditions, however, acknowledge the 25th of Dec. as the First day of Christmas. Hence, the feast is celebrated from Christmas Day to the 5th of January.

While some Christian denominations see Twelvetide as identical to Christmastide, for most, such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Christmas season lasts longer than just 12 days. Several feasts are celebrated within that time, apart from Christmas, there is New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, the Solemnity of Mary, and more, ending on the feast of the Epiphany.

As a carol, the 12 Days of Christmas, may appear as a song about lavish gifts, but author Anna Ball believes that there are religious connations attached. In her book, titled “Handbook of Catholic…

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Muslim Girl Contemplating Suicide Says She Received a Vision of Jesus That Saved Her Life .

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Can North Korean missiles reach Washington, DC?

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Can North Korean missiles reach Washington, DC?

North Korea has launched what appears to be another intercontinental ballistic missile, the Pentagon said yesterday. Some experts calculate that Washington, D.C., is now within Kim Jong Un’s reach. The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to meet today to discuss the launch.

In similar news, Hawaii will resume nuclear siren testing on Friday. They will be the first such tests since the end of the Cold War.

The Hawaiian Islands sit just 4,661 miles from North Korea. The state would have only twenty minutes before a missile launched by Kim Jong Un’s regime struck. Experts estimate that eighteen thousand Hawaiians would be killed during an initial nuclear missile attack.

And a South Korean official announced yesterday that North Korea may be able to pair a nuclear warhead with a long-range ballistic missile sometime next year. “They have been developing their nuclear capabilities faster than expected,” he warned.

In contrast to such ominous news, now consider a completely different subject.

A $100,000 shaving razor

The first Superman comic book ever printed will be auctioned next month. The expected price: $1.2 million.

Meanwhile, a Jewish skullcap is selling for $167,000. It is capped with a two-carat Russian diamond enclosed within a Star of David encrusted with more than 3,500 crystals.

And leather trash bags are now available, just in time for the holidays. A Spanish luxury brand is selling them in small ($258), medium ($346), and large ($422) sizes.

These are not the most extravagant gift items in the news. You can purchase a bejeweled dog collar for $3.2 million, sunglasses for $383,609, high heels for $218,407, or a shaving razor for a mere $100,000. Gold shoelaces can be yours for $19,000; cufflinks manufactured from the metal of AK-47 rifles are available for $32,659.

Such extravagance seems especially frivolous in light of the doomsday scenario posed by North Korea’s nuclear missile program. But the reality is that we are no…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Denison Forum.

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Church workers ‘should be included in sex offence statistics’

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Church workers ‘should be included in sex offence statistics’

However, the term ‘position of trust’ in the law only covers teachers, nurses and other official care settings – not church leaders and other adults such as sports leaders.

The NSPCC fears the figure could be much higher if it included others who have authority over children.

The term is important because it is an offence for someone over 18 in a defined position of trust to engage in sexual activity with 16 and 17 year olds in their care, even if the legal age of consent in other circumstances is 16.

The 82 per cent statistic refers to the increase in the number of recorded crimes involving adults who used their role to groom under 16 year olds and then lead them into sexual activity when they were of legal age.

Premier spoke to Ben Sundell, Senior Public Affairs Officer at the NSPCC, who said: “We’ve been made aware from a number of different cases from a variety of different settings…the number could be a lot higher in reality because of these areas which aren’t covered”.

Ben Sundell added: “We’re calling on the government to act and bring these other roles under arm of the law.”

The NSPCC have revealed the case of one young man who was abused at church.

Mr Sundell explained: “A youth leader was grooming a child over a period of time and then the moment this guy turned 16 he began to ramp things up and started off with giving him lifts, maybe allowing him some alcohol, putting him on the preaching rota, making him feel like he was going to be at the…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – Premier Christianity News.

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Listening to Christmas Songs Can Affect Mental Health, Experts Warn

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REUTERS/Andrew WinningA choir sings Christmas carols outside number 10 Downing Street before a reception with Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron, London December 6, 2011.

While Christmas songs make the holiday season even more festive, experts have revealed that listening to one can be detrimental to some people’s mental health.

For many, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, just like what the Andy William’s classic holiday song says. After all, apart from the festive holiday decorations, gifts sprawling under the tree, sumptuous feast on the dinner table on Christmas Eve and on the day itself, Christmas is also the perfect time for family reunions.

Although the Christmas season is not complete without the Christmas songs played either in one’s home or in public places such as malls, restaurants, and parks, experts have warned that listening to one can actually harm one’s mental health, depending on how a person associates a Christmas song to his life.

“Our response to Christmas songs depends on the association. Many of us associate this music with childhood and a happy time of presents and traditions and all the specialness that happens around that time of year. When the brain makes these associations with something very positive and pleasurable, the rewards system is being activated (which triggers) a number of chemicals including dopamine,” explained Dr. Rhonda Freeman, a clinical neuropsychologist.

It goes without saying that the effects of Christmas songs on an individual is dependent on his personal experience. While holiday music can trigger happy memories for some,…

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Click Read More to read the rest of the story from our content source/partners – The Christian Post.

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Why is Santa Claus Red?

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Santa Claus is widely portrayed as a joyful plump old man with a burly white beard who wears a red suit with white fur-cuffed collars and boots. But before the Coca-Cola company painted this very image of Santa, the jolly gift-giver was often depicted in a variety of ways, one of which was a scary elf.

Scanpix Denmark/Nikolai Linares/via REUTERSPeople dressed as Santa Claus take take part in the World Santa Claus Congress, an annual event held every summer at the amusement park Dyrehavsbakken, in Copenhagen.

While it is true that Coca-Cola popularized the modern-day image of Santa as a tubby old man with a white beard through advertising, the color of his signature suit, red, actually predates their promotions. The legendary figure has appeared in red prior to Coca-Cola’s ads.

Before Santa became known as a friendly old man who went around giving gifts, he was once drawn with a bishop’s robe and at some point with a Norse huntsman’s animal skin. Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast also had several takes on the legendary figure, an elf-like figure among others. Through the years, Nast’s depiction evolved. From wearing a tan-colored coat, the man eventually donned the red suit that everyone recognizes today.

The political cartoonist and Louis Prang, who is often dubbed as…

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Prophetic Words in the Last 30 Days That Show Us We Need to Prepare Now .

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Prophetic Words in the Last 30 Days That Show Us We Need to Prepare Now .


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