A little too "Rood" for some!

How beautiful are all of you out there??  Bless your good hearts and the loving connections you've made to give direct feedback regarding the Michael Rood video that I posted!  Those connections ranged anywhere from those of you who said "kuddos for sharing! That was a real eye opener" to "yikes, Rita, we are rather concerned for you!"  The full gamut was very intriguing and has left me questing for more answers!  And that's exactly why I shared what I did... can it stand on its own two legs?  If not, then it is weak and cannot bring glory to God!

So I am proud of you who took the courage to connect with me directly.  I know some of you were very hesitant for fear of offending but I say to you, anything you say will be taken in, weighed heavily, mulled over and applied to the growth process... no worries about offending!  Did my heart ache in some instances?  Yes.  I did ache especially for my darling mom who phoned because she was concerned about her Christmas gathering scheduled to be hosted in our home today and the possibility of compromising/offending our belief system... (bless your heart mom!  And if I could have crawled through that phone to hug you and reassure you of how much I love you, I would have!!).  In fact, we ended our phone conversation with her loving heart expressing "well, that's just one more ingredient to our family that we get to celebrate!  Maybe I'll buy you a menorah for Christmas!"

I love my family!

And another dear friend shared a book her father wrote on the history of Christmas and an open invitation to have tea with him and delve into candid discussion on the topic!  Given his twenty years of field research in this area, I am really intrigued by this opportunity!! 

So bottom line, there is a part of me that longs to apologize for the harshness of Michael Rood's approach to the information to those of you out there who were offended.  I was so hopeful that people would look past the messenger to see if the message itself, the historical data shared, was of value or not.  If any of you are interested in a more "tactful" man who shares this info from his own perspective journey (far more loving in his approach BECAUSE of his experience with Christmas) then I would suggest Jim Staley of Passion for Truth Ministries.  Again, I need to reiterate that the first time Duane addressed this with me, I was horrified by his opinion, did not believe the background info and was very angry (quite frankly) that he dared threaten to take away from me something as precious as the family treasured memories of Christmas... So trust me, I get the whole "feeling offended!"

But a seed was planted.

And that seed grew and grew and suddenly my eyes were beginning to see things in a light I had not imagined before and enough information surfaced that I could no longer say I was 100% convinced that our version of celebrating Christmas did not go against God's requests and commands in some way(s)... enough that the conviction was no longer strong enough to choose to continue that tradition in our own little family (or not so little).  That realization created a sense of urgency in sharing that with you all for fear that any potential validity to those historical claims could threaten the beautiful faith I have been witness to in all of you around me as it felt that it had threatened mine.  And beyond that sense of urgency, there lay a loving respect for our loved ones for the choices they make and the journey they themselves are on!  BUT if we have been deceived in any way, I wanted to blow that whistle so loud that God's light would cast away ANY shadows that could blind us unknowingly in any way!

That is our family's journey, open and raw, still in the process... but shared with you openly every step of the way.  And those of you who love us and are witness to this journey... you have blessed us with your prayers, your concerns, and the information you've shared, pro and con.

So let me say it again... you have such beautiful hearts!  You are so very loving and I am glad that I can share with you the good and the bad of this journey I call "my life".  God bless you all out there, know that you are loved, that you are my brothers and my sisters of this world, that I wish you Truth and growth every step of the way... In Jesus precious name, Amen.