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16A Saturday, December 18, 2010 Red Bluff Daily News Photo by Kathy Jungwirth Submitted by Monica Talbot My beautiful brown eyed and black hair beauties. Doing the most good I snapped this photo of these red kettle volunteers outside of Walmart. What a fitting repre- sentation of what Christmas is all about. Jesus You Matter — By Faydra Rector For many readers Christmas remains a Christian holiday with the birth of Jesus at the center of attention. For them, Jesus is the reason for the season. For many, Christmas is a painful reminder of the fact that they have too little money to keep up with the demands of a holiday that priori- tizes gifts and idealizes families as unbroken units who adore one another. The holidays become the holi- daze rather quickly rendering even the most organized person up to their ears in Christmas wrap and debt. In today’s economy, more and more people share the stress of being overwhelmed which makes me very sad. Over the years, the real reason that we celebrate at Christmas has been diminished to the point that it is politically incorrect to wish someone a Merry Christmas. It is considered taboo to single out the Christ in Christmas and we have been relegated to wishing our friends and neighbors a hearty Happy Holidays instead. It seems that the further away we get from the birth of Christ, the fainter the memory of why He came and why we need Him. Organized religion has turned peo- ple off and as the world continues to try to find its way amidst war, oppression and natural disasters fewer people turn to the one who is able to offer them peace. For many years I was a lost Christian who had no idea of what it really meant to be close to God. I had no idea that more than any- thing, God wanted a personal rela- tionship with me. Not a collective relationship with a church or a cause that promoted helping others in their time of need, but a true and honest one to one relationship. There are as many reasons why people do not seek God personally as there are reasons why we think God doesn’t seek us. Christianity is the only religion where God reaches out to us no matter what level we are at. No matter where we are. We do not need to do any- thing to earn His love. It is handed down to us as we reach out for it; we only need to acknowledge that Jesus came here for us and that we need Him in our lives. everything you do. He is not mad at you. He is not disappointed. He sees to your innermost heart and He sees beyond what you did, what you said or how you behaved. He is not like the ones who condemn you or judge you. He forgave you the moment you asked Him to and He will continue to do so as long as you seek Him. Even in your darkest hour He is there with you. Jesus matters because He is the one who understands everything you think and feel. He has an answer for every question you have and He has an interest in There are two times each year that Jesus comes front and center in our conscious collective; Christmas and Easter. I want to use this time to encourage you to ask Jesus this question as you are faced with the imagery of his birth this season. Ask Him "do you love me?" Roll the question over and over in your mind as you sing along to Away in a Manger. Pon- der the question as you watch your child in the church pro- duction. Ask it in your head as you watch your children open their gifts as the nativity scene glows in the lights of your Christmas tree. "Jesus, do you love me?" Watch for the signs and your answer will come. It will be there in your dreams dancing along with the sugar plums. It will come in the shower as you worry about how you will pay next month’s electric bill. It will come as you open your heart to the possibility that it is true. He will tell you "yes, I do, how about we get to know one another?"

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