The Ron Edwards American Experience-241224

[00:00:00] This is Sharonda, and you're listening to The Ron Edwards American Experience.

[00:00:05] On with the show, this is it.

[00:00:08] And away we go.

[00:00:17] Say A, say M, say E, say R, say I, C, say A.

[00:00:39] Ladies and gentlemen, it's The Ron Edwards American Experience Talk Show,

[00:00:44] where our unalienable rights are celebrated.

[00:00:48] And now, your radio refreshment, Ron Edwards.

[00:00:53] And Merry Christmas to one and all.

[00:01:23] This is Ron Edwards, and you are listening to The Ron Edwards American Experience.

[00:01:28] And today's show is going to focus mostly on Christmas,

[00:01:31] and we're going to have our special guest today, Denise Edwards.

[00:01:33] She'll be joining us in just a couple of minutes.

[00:01:36] But, you know, duty calls, and we've got to cover a few news headlines.

[00:01:43] And speaking of Christmas, it seems that the nation of Panama is threatening to send the United States

[00:01:50] the gift of millions and millions more of illegal border crossers to our southern border

[00:01:55] because President Trump has said, you know what?

[00:01:58] Maybe we should gift ourselves in the United States to the Panama Canal.

[00:02:03] After all, it was the United States that constructed the canal originally,

[00:02:06] and it was a weak Democrat President Jimmy Carter who gave it away to the Panamanians

[00:02:12] because they were throwing a few bricks at American workers at the Panama Canal.

[00:02:15] And he said, OK, you can have it.

[00:02:18] And now Panama does not even run it.

[00:02:21] It's China who runs it, actually.

[00:02:24] And so, you know, I think President Trump is correct,

[00:02:28] and I think we should go down there and take it back.

[00:02:31] And if they dare to send millions of illegals to our border,

[00:02:35] we should make them pay for that, too.

[00:02:38] The United States has to start standing up for itself in a very, very strong way

[00:02:43] and showing any nation around the world that wants to mess around with us

[00:02:47] that they pay, and they pay dearly.

[00:02:50] And so it is.

[00:02:53] You know, the case that happened a few days ago with the young lady

[00:02:59] that was burned on the New York subway by an illegal border crosser,

[00:03:03] one of Biden's friends, you know, what was most disheartening about that

[00:03:08] is that people stood around, including a couple of police officers,

[00:03:12] and did nothing to save the girl.

[00:03:14] She probably could have been saved.

[00:03:15] All someone had to do was cover her with a coat or two

[00:03:18] and roll her on the ground,

[00:03:20] and she probably could have been saved very easily.

[00:03:23] That's a common practice when someone catches on –

[00:03:27] their clothes catch on fire.

[00:03:28] If you roll them on the ground and just cover the flames,

[00:03:32] 99% of the time they survive with very few problems

[00:03:38] other than a few burns.

[00:03:40] But that's something that speaks volumes about our society, doesn't it?

[00:03:47] When people can stand around.

[00:03:49] That at one time was not the way in America.

[00:03:53] We always helped one another, especially at this time of the year.

[00:03:57] This was the time of the year that people – the world was a much nicer place,

[00:04:02] especially here in the United States.

[00:04:04] Well, anyway, without any further ado, we're going to bring forth Denise,

[00:04:09] and we're going to just have a conversation today about Christmas,

[00:04:12] what it means to us, our family life growing up,

[00:04:16] traditions that we participated in,

[00:04:19] traditions we recognize throughout our country and around the world.

[00:04:24] So, Doug, let's bring on Denise.

[00:04:28] Hello, Denise, and welcome.

[00:04:31] Hello.

[00:04:31] How are you?

[00:04:32] Merry Christmas to everybody.

[00:04:34] And Merry Christmas.

[00:04:35] And Happy New Year.

[00:04:36] And Happy Hanukkah.

[00:04:37] Oh, yeah.

[00:04:38] Happy Hanukkah, indeed.

[00:04:40] And Denise, I'm going to just share with you just a little bit about

[00:04:44] Christmastime in America.

[00:04:47] Did you know that – wait a minute.

[00:04:50] You ever bring something up on the computer and you're about to talk about it

[00:04:54] and it disappears?

[00:04:56] That's never happened to you, has it?

[00:04:59] Well –

[00:05:00] Of course, life is perfect for me.

[00:05:04] Towards the end of the 19th century,

[00:05:07] the Christmas tree popularity began to grow in our country.

[00:05:11] Christmas ornaments were arriving from Germany and other European countries.

[00:05:15] But as the custom of decorating fir trees spread throughout America,

[00:05:20] many Americans started creating their own Christmas ornaments.

[00:05:24] And today, Americans decorate more trees than any other nation in the world.

[00:05:31] And it's a wonderful practice.

[00:05:34] I know that there are secular or, you know, practices that are involved with the tree and

[00:05:42] everything like that.

[00:05:43] But correct me if I'm wrong, Denise.

[00:05:46] If you decorate your tree at Christmastime and it is dedicated to Christ and even the ornaments

[00:05:52] reflect that, there's nothing wrong with that, is there?

[00:05:56] You know, I think that we've given away a lot of our power.

[00:06:01] As Christians, I do understand that Satan has co-opted signs and symbols after the fall of Babel.

[00:06:09] So they convert it to signs and symbols to communicate a lot of cultic art and practices.

[00:06:16] But at the same time, through Christ, all things are restored and become new.

[00:06:21] And I think that we have the opportunity – as long as you're not literally worshiping, you know,

[00:06:27] I've never seen you bowing down an evergreen tree or, you know,

[00:06:33] hanging a wreath around your neck and calling on some spirit.

[00:06:36] So I think that it's really about how you define what you have.

[00:06:43] Yes, you can recognize it.

[00:06:44] And if you buy something that may have been used in demonic or cultic practices,

[00:06:49] you can break that through the power of the name and through the power of the blood,

[00:06:53] through the authority.

[00:06:54] In Christ, you know, you can break the power of that or the misuse of that

[00:07:00] or the misappropriation of an item.

[00:07:03] And you can call it sanctified, declare it clean for the glorification of Jesus Christ.

[00:07:10] Hmm.

[00:07:11] Okay.

[00:07:12] And, you know, that to me, that's a great common sense explanation.

[00:07:17] But then you find so many that I guess we could call them religious or whatever,

[00:07:22] paranoid religious folks who, you know, they seem to see a ghost behind every doorknob or whatever.

[00:07:30] And they take it to the extreme where they literally chase all the joy out of this season.

[00:07:36] And because we know that Christ was not actually born in December,

[00:07:42] he was conceived in December and born most likely in September.

[00:07:47] But the sincere celebration of his birthday is, in my opinion, no less great than if it were celebrated in,

[00:07:58] let's say, September.

[00:07:59] What say you?

[00:08:00] Oh, I think what we have to do is keep a level head.

[00:08:04] Yes, it's a great night.

[00:08:06] I think that recognizing that December was initially a pagan holiday,

[00:08:12] and December 25th is actually the date that the pagan god Tammuz was considered born.

[00:08:20] If you understand the history that Constantinople converted pagan holidays

[00:08:25] and slap a Christian label on them, and you can actually use that opportunity to explain that to people,

[00:08:34] but at the same time you let them know that it is still a great opportunity to celebrate Jesus in this season,

[00:08:41] to honor him, to tell people why it is a great time of the year.

[00:08:46] You know, for you, it's your inner kid in you really shines.

[00:08:50] And let people know why.

[00:08:52] Why you're excited about that is not because of a gift or something,

[00:08:56] but it's because of the gift of Christ that you can do that.

[00:09:00] So I think you have to be wise, as the Bible says, wise as a serpent, but harmless as a dove.

[00:09:08] And there's a way to celebrate the season with wisdom.

[00:09:11] You don't have to be a religious hammer and run around and scream at everybody and call them, you know,

[00:09:17] you pagan, you know, you've got a tree.

[00:09:20] And I know people like that, you know, you and I both know people like that who will condemn you to hell.

[00:09:25] You know, you've got a TV in your room, so you're already, you know, you've got a portal that's taking you to hell.

[00:09:31] You know, you can use it for the glory of God or you can use it for the enemy.

[00:09:36] Everything can have a dual purpose.

[00:09:40] Yeah, yeah, that's true.

[00:09:42] And, you know, one thing that was so remarkable about Christmastime growing up, and I mentioned this a few minutes ago,

[00:09:54] how the world actually became a much nicer place during this time of the year.

[00:09:59] Everyone seemed happier.

[00:10:01] Everyone seemed kinder.

[00:10:04] Even people you didn't get along with, there were the smiles, the hellos, and it just seemed, everyone seemed to lay down their grievances during this time of the year.

[00:10:14] I guess we were taken in by the decorations because people at that time massively decorated everywhere.

[00:10:21] And there was this joyful time of the year, and it was so joyful in some places, like even where I lived, that our Jewish friends would come and celebrate Christmas with us.

[00:10:32] And it was just a wonderful time of the year, and we'll get into more conversation about Christmas traditions,

[00:10:39] and Denise will be sharing some of her thoughts as well when we return on this Christmas Day edition of the Ron Edwards American Experience.

[00:10:48] The kid has class, taste, finesse.

[00:10:58] The Ron Edwards American Experience, a charter member of the emerging new mainstream media.

[00:11:06] Christmas.

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[00:13:11] This is Denise Edwards, and I am wishing you and all the Ron Edwards American Experience audience a great Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

[00:13:32] And we're back.

[00:14:20] Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, everyone.

[00:14:23] I'm Ron Edwards, and you are listening to the Ron Edwards American Experience.

[00:14:27] And we are celebrating this wonderful time of year with our special guest today, Denise Edwards.

[00:14:31] And, Denise, before we get into more conversation, I wanted to share folks about your ministry and how folks can get in contact with what you do on a daily basis.

[00:14:43] Well, thank you for that opportunity.

[00:14:45] And certainly those that are serious about prayer, about intercession, we certainly invite you to check us out.

[00:14:54] All the information is on ComeMinistry.com, C-O-M-E-M-I-N-I-S-T-R-Y.com.

[00:15:02] You can find everything there.

[00:15:04] And what we do is a group of men and women.

[00:15:07] We are now in our ninth year where we gather and we pray for, you know, the needs of people.

[00:15:15] And primarily it is a corporate and governmental prayer.

[00:15:19] So we pray primarily concerning current events and needs and issues regarding countries, cities, and states.

[00:15:25] But also we, of course, we pray for people who have needs.

[00:15:31] We don't make that a central focus because most people have, you know, smaller prayer groups where they have, you know, friends and family members that they can pray with on more personal needs.

[00:15:42] But every once in a while we will get, you know, like a major request where the corporate agreement certainly aids in excelling that response because the Bible says there's power in agreement.

[00:15:54] And so we don't mind doing that on occasion so that there is, you know, more people in agreement for like the rapid healing of someone who is facing a crisis and what have you.

[00:16:05] So that's what we do.

[00:16:06] And also I do my podcast on Rumble.com.

[00:16:09] You can find that also on ComeMinistry or ShofarOne on Rumble.com.

[00:16:15] And I do that on Thursdays from 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

[00:16:19] So participate in another international prayer call.

[00:16:23] But that's not available to the public.

[00:16:24] But that's with some friends over in other parts of the world, Europe and Israel and what have you.

[00:16:29] And that's on Wednesday.

[00:16:31] And so that kind of keeps me busy as well as, of course, we're chaplains with GCU, Great Commission United Academy.

[00:16:40] And we help to train chaplains for ministry.

[00:16:46] And that has a lot of branches as well.

[00:16:49] All right.

[00:16:50] Thank you so much.

[00:16:52] You know, one of our favorite movies, It's a Wonderful Life, Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed starred in the 1946 iconic Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life.

[00:17:02] At the time of its release, critics condemned it, believe it or not.

[00:17:06] And moviegoers gave it a lukewarm reception.

[00:17:09] But most baby boomers have watched it over 50 times in their lives.

[00:17:14] And I've watched it probably almost that many times.

[00:17:17] It pulls at my heart and it pulls at our sense of friendship, purpose, dreams and wishes.

[00:17:23] The brilliant underlying theme remains to this day that we all need love, friends, family and purpose in our lives.

[00:17:31] At the end of the movie, when George Bailey stands to the bridge in a snowstorm about to end his own life.

[00:17:37] He has granted his wish to come back to his time and be with his family.

[00:17:42] And that's so much what Christmas is about, being with family and your best friends coming together, not just for good food, but to remember the birth of Christ and why we are here on this earth.

[00:17:57] And, you know, Denise, also growing up, I'll never forget how wonderful it was at this time of year.

[00:18:05] You could go downtown.

[00:18:07] I don't care what major city you were in, it would be a wonderland.

[00:18:11] In Chicago, it was the Magnificent Mile.

[00:18:14] In Detroit, it was Woodward Avenue.

[00:18:15] In Cleveland, Euclid Avenue.

[00:18:19] In New York, it was 34th Street and Herald Square.

[00:18:24] And on and on and on.

[00:18:25] Philadelphia, I believe it was, it's Broad Street.

[00:18:30] And South Street as well.

[00:18:32] But, you know, these things have kind of died down.

[00:18:35] The department stores are gone.

[00:18:37] Cleveland had six when I was a little boy.

[00:18:42] Detroit had several.

[00:18:43] I know they had, was it the famous one, Hudson's?

[00:18:48] And there was Kearns.

[00:18:49] Yeah, we had Hudson's.

[00:18:51] Crowley's.

[00:18:51] We had Saxon Avenue.

[00:18:53] Yeah.

[00:18:54] There was also, oh boy, all of a sudden, I'm drawing a blank probably because I'm on the radio.

[00:18:59] But, yeah, there were Crowley's.

[00:19:01] I remember Crowley's.

[00:19:03] That was a pretty good size.

[00:19:07] Oh, good grief.

[00:19:08] All of a sudden, I'm drawing a blank.

[00:19:09] But, yeah, we had probably six as well.

[00:19:13] You know, but the biggest, of course, was Hudson's.

[00:19:17] And then also, when we were growing up, you also had Sears.

[00:19:20] It called it Sears and Roebuck when we were super young.

[00:19:24] And then they cut off Robot, who most people didn't even know was a black person, and just named it to Sears.

[00:19:31] And then, of course, now, I think, I don't know if there are any of those still left open.

[00:19:36] No, I think Sears is all gone.

[00:19:38] And I remember I used to love to go to Sears because they had great pets.

[00:19:43] And popcorn.

[00:19:44] Don't forget the popcorn.

[00:19:46] Oh, yeah.

[00:19:46] That was it.

[00:19:48] The smell would fill the whole store.

[00:19:50] And all the children ran straight toward the popcorn machine that they always gave up free bags.

[00:19:55] Yeah, but I never saw it.

[00:19:57] But I always had heard about Hudson's Department Store in Detroit.

[00:20:01] That was on par with Higby's in Cleveland or Gimbel's in Philadelphia and Macy's in New York.

[00:20:09] It was just a legendary store that you guys had.

[00:20:12] I saw pictures of it and always wanted to see it.

[00:20:16] But it was probably one of the few major big city department stores that I did not see before its demise.

[00:20:23] And it's a shame because I used to look at these giant department stores as symbols, great symbols of capitalism.

[00:20:31] What a family could do because most of those stores were started by people from the community, from their community.

[00:20:40] Hudson was a Detroiter.

[00:20:44] And most of the great city's department stores, Mr. Gimbel, a New Yorker.

[00:20:50] Twelfthy.

[00:20:50] And so on and so on.

[00:20:53] Hallie.

[00:20:53] Yep, Presky's was.

[00:20:54] J.C.

[00:20:55] Tinney.

[00:20:55] Yeah.

[00:20:57] All of those were family started.

[00:21:00] So it goes on and on.

[00:21:02] But I'm bringing all this up because that was part of the lore and part of the experience of Christmas in America.

[00:21:12] And I thought it was a wonderful time.

[00:21:14] You know, I look back and I see what it is today.

[00:21:19] And I think that's why I never, ever really liked malls.

[00:21:24] I think there's only about two or three malls in my entire life that I liked.

[00:21:28] And they had, they were very luxurious malls and they had an urban feel about them.

[00:21:34] But for the most part, I preferred the old shopping districts where you had Marshall Fields and great stores like that.

[00:21:42] And when you walk into those stores, I mean, gosh, at Christmas time, it was just mind boggling.

[00:21:56] And, um.

[00:22:16] Yes.

[00:22:17] Not a lot of, I think at Home Alone, you might have one or two scenes in a store.

[00:22:23] But it's not a whole lot of movies now that even allow you to capture that feel of what a department store looked like when we were children.

[00:22:31] Yeah.

[00:22:32] Well, A Christmas Story 2, which I was an extra in with Peter Billingsley with the little boy that starred in it and all of that.

[00:22:41] And that was filmed in Higby's in Cleveland.

[00:22:44] And, um, that was, uh, a fascinating experience.

[00:22:48] And they didn't have to do much to Higby's because it was that decorated every year anyway.

[00:22:54] And so, um, they, they just walked in and just used what was there literally in that movie.

[00:23:01] And so, um, but yeah, it's kind of sad when you look back and you see where we've gone.

[00:23:07] I mean, we've gone from Hudson's to Dollar General or something, you know, it's, it's.

[00:23:15] Well, they are building back.

[00:23:16] I can't speak for everywhere, but I can speak for downtown Detroit, which we were just at the other day.

[00:23:23] And, uh, my goodness, it is, they are definitely rebuilding in the stores that are down there.

[00:23:31] Um, you know, I was telling our daughter, I can't wait for Lego, uh, open up the Lego store to open up.

[00:23:38] You know, we have a Lego land, but it's out in the mall, but this will be an actual Lego store.

[00:23:44] And, uh, you know, I am looking forward to that because we don't have the giant toys or us and those kinds of ginormous toy stores that Arthur used to be in New York.

[00:23:55] I mean, some people literally just flew to New York to do their Christmas shopping.

[00:24:00] And, uh, I don't, you know, and the toy, just the toy shopping alone, you know, was a destination for a lot of people that time of the year.

[00:24:11] And so they're trying to bring some of these things back and we've got the ice skating rink and the roller rink and, and the Christmas market in downtown Detroit.

[00:24:20] And I, I was very glad to see that.

[00:24:23] Yep.

[00:24:24] And, and see that those are new traditions that the families today, the children of today will see, and that will kind of reestablish that Christmas tradition that kind of died out in recent years in the inner cities, in the downtowns.

[00:24:38] And, and, you know, other cities are doing the same thing, Cleveland, same thing, um, with the stores and the decorations and, you know, the ice skating rink and the beautiful decorations and all that, that that's coming back.

[00:24:50] But what I also hope, Denise, that comes back and boy, I've got to hold it right there.

[00:24:56] Um, just pray I don't lose that thought as we continue on the other side of this break on the Ron Edwards American Experience Christmas edition.

[00:25:04] It's Christmas time all over the world and Christmas here at home.

[00:25:14] The church bells chime wherever we roam.

[00:25:19] The Ron Edwards American Experience talk show where our unalienable rights are celebrated.

[00:25:31] A candy maker in Indiana wanted to produce a candy that would be a witness.

[00:25:36] So he made the Christmas candy cane.

[00:25:39] Hello, I'm Ron Edwards.

[00:25:41] On today's page from the Edwards Notebook, the candy maker began with a stick of pure white hard candy to symbolize the virgin birth and sinless nature of Jesus.

[00:25:50] Candy maker made the candy in the form of a J to represent the name of Jesus who came to earth as our savior.

[00:25:57] It also represented the staff of the good shepherd who reaches down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs that have gone astray.

[00:26:05] Realizing his candy was very plain, the candy maker stated with red stripes to symbolize the scourging Jesus received by which we are all healed.

[00:26:14] The large red stripe was for the blood shed by Jesus on the cross so that we could have the promise of eternal life.

[00:26:22] Unfortunately, the candy became known only as a candy cane, a meaningless decoration seen at Christmas time.

[00:26:28] But the meaning is still there for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

[00:26:33] I pray that this symbol will again be used to witness the wonder of Jesus and his great love that came down to us remain the ultimate and dominant force in the universe today.

[00:26:44] And forever.

[00:26:45] Merry Christmas and may God bless everyone.

[00:26:49] I'm Ron Edwards.

[00:26:52] Join me live weekdays 3 p.m. Eastern to find out where.

[00:26:56] Simply go to TheRonEdwards.com.

[00:26:59] On the call, on the wall.

[00:27:02] In the heart of struggle, in the face of adversity and betrayal, a thread of hope and faith created tapestry of triumph.

[00:27:10] I'm Denise Edwards.

[00:27:12] And I'm inviting you to take a look into the window of my life.

[00:27:16] God promises in his word that he will never leave us nor forsake us.

[00:27:20] Well, I say you don't know Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you have.

[00:27:26] Join me in my journey of victory.

[00:27:28] Read about my Romans 828 life and find inspiration for your own overcoming life.

[00:27:35] On the call, on the wall is available on Amazon and Kindle.

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[00:27:42] Read the story and share the victories that await you through faith and prayer.

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[00:27:51] Visit us today.

[00:27:52] The Ron Edwards American Experience.

[00:27:55] The talk show that celebrates America and reminds everyone she's worth fighting for.

[00:28:00] Join me, host Ron Edwards, and also don't miss a daily page from the Edwards Notebook Commentary.

[00:28:06] Right here on K-Star Talk Radio Network.

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[00:28:14] LibertyTalk.fm.

[00:28:17] The wise men left Harrod's chambers and went on their way.

[00:28:21] The star they had first seen in the east reappeared, a miracle that of course overjoyed and enraptured the wise men.

[00:28:29] The star led them to the house where Yeshua lay.

[00:28:32] And as soon as the wise men arrived, they saw him with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.

[00:28:39] They unpacked their satchels and gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

[00:28:46] And we are back.

[00:31:12] This is the Ron Edwards American Experience.

[00:31:14] And we are celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah.

[00:31:18] For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder.

[00:31:25] And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

[00:31:32] And our guest today is Denise Edwards, and she's sharing the wonders of Christmas as she grew up and what she thinks about how our society is dealing with Christmas today.

[00:31:44] And Denise, I want to ask you straight out.

[00:31:47] Do you believe, as I believe, that Christmas is going to make a comeback in the next year or two?

[00:31:55] Do you think that there's going to be a change in our republic for the better that will enable people to remember the glory of the true glory of Christmas, and that would be reestablished more greatly in our society?

[00:32:11] I think if the church does her role, yes.

[00:32:15] I think religion may excel, but to really recognize Christ as the center of not just the 25th of any day or any month, but to really establish Christ in relationship, the church is going to have to rise up.

[00:32:34] I saw that this year about 47% of Americans will attend some type of church service on Christmas or Christmas Eve.

[00:32:43] And that is down, and the numbers keep shrinking.

[00:32:48] But I have seen a resurgence in other areas of lots of religious activity.

[00:32:54] And when I was listening, a friend of ours that we know, she had sent me an email indicating that there's been a rise in leaving Islam and converting to Christianity in Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, which is fantastic news.

[00:33:12] But because the people that share the gospel, they're not explaining the need for actual relationship.

[00:33:24] And so I think if you want to see the kind of growth that is sustainable and not just a popcorn flash type of experience over the next couple of years, I think it's going to be incumbent for us, the true believer, the body of Christ, to really help lead people into understanding the importance of relationship.

[00:33:47] Not a feel-good, not a feel-good, rub on some beads and light a candle and all as well type of experience, but a legitimate dying to self, glorifying the Lord and sharing the good news with others type of experience.

[00:34:05] And I totally agree with that.

[00:34:33] I said earlier when I talked about how, especially this time of the year, almost everybody was friends during the Christmas season.

[00:34:42] And it was mostly religious activity, but we did not know it back then.

[00:34:48] And that's why it didn't stick.

[00:34:51] You know, you had the happy Christmas time, but then after January 1st, it's like the bottom dropped out.

[00:35:00] And you're back to the regular grind.

[00:35:02] And, you know, you had the Rose Bowl, but, you know, after that, it's kind of, you know, you're back to the regular life.

[00:35:10] And there was always that letdown, which let me know the impact of the church was either waning or had already waned, in my opinion.

[00:35:22] Does that make sense?

[00:35:24] No, it makes a lot of sense because religious activity is always an ebb and flow.

[00:35:30] Relationship is constant.

[00:35:31] I mean, we've been married, you know, what, 28 years.

[00:35:34] And, you know, we've had ebbs and flows in the sense of how things go.

[00:35:39] But you couldn't, we didn't have an ebb and flow in the love for one another.

[00:35:43] And, you know, there had to be some sort of a constant in order to have something to come back to.

[00:35:50] And, unfortunately, without relationship, then you just end up in the ebb and flow religious activity.

[00:35:57] Because you need that.

[00:35:58] You have to have that love for the Lord and have to have the revelation of his love for you.

[00:36:03] Because it works both ways.

[00:36:04] That door swings both ways.

[00:36:06] You absolutely can't just tell people that Jesus loves you, but you yourself are running around wondering, well, does he really, is that a real thing?

[00:36:15] If you have a doubt in your heart of his love for you, it's going to ring inauthentic when you try to tell someone that Jesus loves you.

[00:36:23] So that's why our individual relationships are the building block to help others grow in their relationship with the Lord.

[00:36:31] And then we'll see a fellowship.

[00:36:33] Then we'll see a unity and a community that I think all of us are longing for.

[00:36:39] And it'll be organic.

[00:36:40] It won't be foisted upon people because it will be authentically lived by the believer.

[00:36:45] And they'll see it.

[00:36:47] And they'll recognize it.

[00:36:48] And they'll be hungry for it.

[00:36:50] Yep.

[00:36:51] And they'll be drawn to it.

[00:36:53] But like I said, even when I was a little boy, how other people like Jews were attracted by the love that we displayed during the Christmas season.

[00:37:03] I mean, they would come around and they'd be in our home celebrating with us Christmas.

[00:37:09] And that always amazed me.

[00:37:12] And my father would witness to them.

[00:37:15] And some of them did convert and others didn't.

[00:37:17] But they still appreciated that time of year, the love that was so self-evident.

[00:37:24] And I think that is something that is so important that once they see and they'll know us by our love for one another, which first comes from Christ.

[00:37:36] And speaking of Christ and his place of birth, it's kind of sad that Bethlehem will be dark this year.

[00:37:45] Again, I think it was dark last Christmas as well.

[00:37:47] And the Muslims are smiling.

[00:37:50] They're pretty happy because of an attack or whatever.

[00:37:53] They've decided not to have any Christmas celebrations.

[00:37:57] There will be no lights.

[00:37:58] There will be no tourists allowed to see where Christ was said to have been born and the whole nine yards.

[00:38:07] And I think as we, once again, as Christians reestablish a closer relationship with Christ, I believe that we will become more emboldened, less cowardly, and not give in to the whims and will of others who want us wiped out or want us to be pushed into a corner, which is happening in the place called Bethlehem.

[00:38:32] I mean, I take it as a personal insult that they allow the Muslims to bully them and, oh, we don't want to upset them.

[00:38:42] And no, I would rather have the attitude of the Christians in Syria who they put up a giant Christmas tree.

[00:38:52] The Muslims came and burned it down.

[00:38:55] The Christians there flooded the streets in protest and they replaced the tree with a giant cross.

[00:39:02] And said, well, how are you doing?

[00:39:05] And so they pushed back.

[00:39:07] They're not showing, they're showing backbone.

[00:39:10] And I think we need more of that.

[00:39:12] And I think that will happen, Denise, as we become less religious, but more real in our relationship with the Lord, would say you.

[00:39:23] I absolutely agree with that.

[00:39:25] And that's why I'm hopeful about the opportunity.

[00:39:29] I just hope that the church will pay, will even pay attention and take some of the cues from this last election.

[00:39:38] And what I mean by that is that a lot of people literally woke up by rejecting the wokeness.

[00:39:45] And they said, you know what, we lost because we kept trying to convince people that a man in a skirt is a woman.

[00:39:52] We lost because we kept thinking if we tell people that men attracted to little children is just another form of expression.

[00:40:03] You know, they had to really stop and stare in the mirror and say, you know, we can't.

[00:40:08] And people are beginning to feel more liberated and coming out and saying, you know what, I really never did agree with this man and women's bathroom issue anyway.

[00:40:17] But I just don't want to lose my base.

[00:40:20] They're slowly coming out.

[00:40:22] And the church has to do the exact same thing.

[00:40:25] They have to stop kowtowing, like you said, and giving over the territory and say, you know what, Jesus really is Lord.

[00:40:33] And it doesn't matter who's voted in or who's voted out.

[00:40:37] Jesus is Lord all the time.

[00:40:41] And I'm not going to hide behind that, and I'm not going to be fearful of declaring that.

[00:40:46] And we've got to take it back.

[00:40:48] And I think this window that we've been provided is just that, because one thing Trump doesn't understand is freedom of religion is important.

[00:40:57] Now we've just got to hopefully get him to understand freedom of relationship and to, you know, and I don't want to get real political because we're talking about Christmas.

[00:41:06] But two things that Putin did that I would love to see Trump do is that he renounced Satanism in Russia.

[00:41:15] He called it evil.

[00:41:17] He called it directly out.

[00:41:18] And he also, you know, penalized the rainbow agenda and said, you're not going to push this upon the people.

[00:41:24] He didn't threaten to kill anybody who lived a different way.

[00:41:28] He just said, you don't get to push this on the people.

[00:41:33] And I think that that's important to take a stand and say, you know what, we have to allow room for everyone to breathe.

[00:41:40] And unfortunately, the church was the first group that was choked out in the wave of all this foolishness.

[00:41:48] And I'm hoping, as you say, that we'll push back and push back rightly.

[00:41:53] And we'll continue to push back the right way when we return on this Christmas edition of the Ron Edwards American Experience.

[00:42:08] This is Pastor Carl Noble.

[00:42:10] Have a very blessed Christmas, always remembering that the greatest gift ever given to us was our Lord who died and rose again so that we might have life both now and forever.

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[00:45:19] The Ron Edwards American Experience, a charter member of the emerging new mainstream media.

[00:45:26] It's not the biggest, but your voices and actions are.

[00:45:29] So don't give up.

[00:45:31] Ron Edwards here, host of The Ron Edwards American Experience, wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

[00:46:41] This is the Ron Edwards American Experience.

[00:46:43] Merry Christmas, everyone.

[00:46:45] And Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish friends as well.

[00:46:48] Thanks so much for tuning in from throughout America and around the world.

[00:46:53] And Denise, I'm going to share this story.

[00:46:56] And there's a reason why I'm bringing it up.

[00:46:59] Kim Kardashian, we all know who she is.

[00:47:01] She faces a huge backlash for mocking Christianity, posting a demonic Santa baby video.

[00:47:10] The video, which showed a scantily clad Kardashian crawling around on the floor of a chaotic drug den.

[00:47:18] It was produced by her brother-in-law, Travis Barker.

[00:47:21] And the video mocked Jesus Christ, showed Catholic nuns passed out on the floor, presented an over-sexualized depiction of Mary, mother of Jesus, prostitution and gambling.

[00:47:32] And Denise, the reason why I brought it up is because it touches on something that we just talked about a few minutes ago, about how we need to be bolder as followers of Christ.

[00:47:45] We cannot be cowardly.

[00:47:47] We cannot.

[00:47:47] And I think we also need to be known for our respect and love for one another and come be presented on a united front.

[00:47:58] Because you would not see Kim Kardashian or anyone making fun of fake gods like Allah or whomever or Muhammad.

[00:48:07] You wouldn't see that because of the opposition and the backlash that would face from the Muslim community.

[00:48:14] But there's no fear of a much larger so-called Christian community.

[00:48:19] What say you?

[00:48:21] Yes, and we all know, or not we all, but many know and recognize that she is a practicing witch, as is Beyonce, as is Taylor Swift.

[00:48:31] And the list just goes on and on and on.

[00:48:34] Most people that are in entertainment are compromised spiritually.

[00:48:39] If they're not in pedophilia or if they're not doing drugs or if they're not involved in alternate lifestyles, then they're often cultic practitioners.

[00:48:48] Because Satan always charges for his fame, for wealth and what have you.

[00:48:53] So, yeah, I think that Kim Kardashian is just a symptom of what's wrong with the body of Christ not standing up and being a brighter light.

[00:49:04] When I see a person involved in those cultic practices, they are being empowered by a lesser light and by a counterfeit authority.

[00:49:12] And we have to become that brighter light, that greater light, and it needs to shine.

[00:49:19] And then when we do that, it will dispel the delusion and it will dispel the deception that is really what is undergirding and supporting the madness.

[00:49:30] And I do think it's important that people speak out and say, hey, you know, I don't appreciate the mocking of Christ.

[00:49:39] That is absolutely unacceptable, and we need to be vocal about that.

[00:49:43] Yeah, absolutely.

[00:49:45] We have to be more vocal.

[00:49:46] And we have to encourage one another to be more vocal.

[00:49:49] And one of the practices that I have noticed in many churches is they're either slap happy, like Joel Osteen, or, let's see, they're very emotional.

[00:50:04] Like in churches like Hot Bottom, Power Bottom's church.

[00:50:09] You know, but, you know, the rudiments are kind of off kilter and thus weakening the body of Christ overall.

[00:50:17] And that's why you see people like Kim Kardashian making fun of our Lord and Savior.

[00:50:22] I just want to touch on just a little bit about Hanukkah, which begins on the eve of Kislev 25 and continues for eight days.

[00:50:31] On the civil calendar, it generally coincides with the month of December.

[00:50:36] This year, Hanukkah runs from December 25th, Christmas Day, through January 2nd.

[00:50:42] And I think it's very unusual for Hanukkah to begin on Christmas Day.

[00:50:48] It's not very often, is it?

[00:50:52] No, it does.

[00:50:53] I mean, I think, what, every seven years or I forgot how many years.

[00:50:56] It does cycle back.

[00:50:58] But, no, it's not every year.

[00:51:00] But I think it's, again, not allowing people to push you in the silence.

[00:51:07] This, again, is a great opportunity to talk about the ultimate light.

[00:51:12] And we serve a light that doesn't go out.

[00:51:15] Yes, I make, you know, I'm not making light, no pun intended, of the provision and the miracle of the oil that kept that candle burning for eight days.

[00:51:26] But at the same, of the menorah, technically, burning.

[00:51:30] But what I do think if we seize the moment, we can explain who that center light is.

[00:51:36] The Holy Spirit is that oil that fuels us.

[00:51:39] And Christ is the center light.

[00:51:41] And we can continue to shine forever in him.

[00:51:46] And so I think it's great.

[00:51:47] But we do wish happy Hanukkah to all of your listeners.

[00:51:51] And if you are a believer in Yeshua, take an opportunity.

[00:51:55] Explain the menorah from that perspective.

[00:51:59] Most people will listen.

[00:52:01] They won't find it offensive.

[00:52:02] And they will listen.

[00:52:03] You can show them Jesus in the menorah, which is always a wonderful lesson.

[00:52:08] Yeah, it is, actually.

[00:52:10] And I love how you've explained it.

[00:52:13] And Eva, our friend, has explained it.

[00:52:16] And it's a beautiful thing to witness.

[00:52:18] It really is.

[00:52:21] I just want to thank you for joining us this time around, Denise, sharing your heart about Christmas.

[00:52:28] Any last-minute memories you want to share?

[00:52:32] Any words of wisdom you want to share with us?

[00:52:35] Maybe even a prayer or whatever's on your heart.

[00:52:39] You know what?

[00:52:41] Some of my memories are not huge and big.

[00:52:45] I think one of the fondest.

[00:52:47] It's a soft memory.

[00:52:49] It's my father standing behind the bar we had in the basement where we would entertain guests.

[00:52:54] And him serving up eggnog and singing along with Nat King Cole.

[00:53:00] He just used to love Nat King Cole.

[00:53:03] And he actually had a great voice.

[00:53:06] He sang in the choir all the way back to college.

[00:53:09] And he and my uncle both had really nice voices.

[00:53:12] And I just fondly remember that.

[00:53:15] You know, it wasn't a moment that maybe a lot of people would understand.

[00:53:20] But if you've ever had a parent who thought they could sing or knew they could sing and they loved to entertain, he just would get such a kick out of having the house full of people and serving up eggnog and singing along with Cat King Cole.

[00:53:35] So I just thought that was great to remember him singing Nat King Cole's Christmas song.

[00:53:42] Oh, that's that's great.

[00:53:44] I don't have time.

[00:53:45] I'd love to share a Christmas memory I had with my dad.

[00:53:48] But one thing real quick.

[00:53:49] It's time to go.

[00:53:50] I love decorating the house outside with my dad.

[00:53:54] And some years when he really got in the mood, it would start at the top with a star and just build our way down to the to the to the to the porch.

[00:54:03] And it was always great.

[00:54:04] It was just he and I.

[00:54:05] And it was always wonderful at Christmas time.

[00:54:08] Anyway, folks, now that I see that my time is up, thank you so much for your time.

[00:54:12] And thank you, Denise, for your time as well.

[00:54:15] To exit stage right.

[00:54:18] We wish you the merriest, the merriest, the merriest, the merriest.

[00:54:23] We wish you the merriest, the merriest, the merriest.

[00:54:28] Yes, the merriest.

[00:54:30] We wish you the merriest, the merriest, the merriest.

[00:54:34] You cheer.

[00:54:36] We wish you the happiest, the happiest, the happiest.

[00:54:40] Yes, the happiest.

[00:54:41] We wish you the happiest, the happiest, the happiest.

[00:54:45] The happiest new year.

[00:54:47] May your tree be filled with happiness.

[00:54:51] Happiness and friendliness for all.

[00:54:53] May your heart be filled with cheerfulness.

[00:54:56] Happiness and cheerfulness for all.

[00:54:59] We wish you the happiest, the happiest, the happiest.

[00:55:02] Happiest, yes, the happiest.

[00:55:05] We wish you the merriest, the merriest, the merriest.

[00:55:09] You cheer.

[00:55:11] And the happiest new year.