Latest / Fostering Faith / Joy in the Holidays

Transcript

Joy in the Holidays · Fostering Faith

• 0:00
  Welcome back to Fostering Faith.
• 0:10
  We're in season two, episode eight, and we are going to be discussing holidays.
• 0:16
  My favorite time of the year is holidays.
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  And so as we go into our holiday season, we just wanted to well equip you.
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  And so we remain joyful during this holiday season.
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  And so as we go into this coming up episode, just to catch you up on what's been going
• 0:34
  on in our lives, Gia, what have you been up to?
• 0:37
  We've had a lot of basketball games this year and we had, how many days we have?
• 0:45
  Four?
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  We lost two, one, two.
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  And yeah, that's really all we've been doing is basketball and basketball practice.
• 0:56
  And as we talked about last week, you had your first tryout for a travel team.
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  And how'd that go?
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  Made it.
• 1:07
  You made it.
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  What did you learn in that volleyball tryout?
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  When you step up and be a leader and that everyone has to just try.
• 1:26
  Yeah.
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  And I think that, you know, as we go through tryouts in life, sometimes we make it, sometimes
• 1:33
  we don't.
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  And so it's always guaranteed that if you try out for something that you're going to
• 1:39
  make it.
• 1:40
  No.
• 1:41
  Can you learn from that?
• 1:43
  Yes.
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  What did you, what would you learn from?
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  I can do better in whatever I did.
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  And so taking that even as a great learning experience to be like, you know what, I get
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  to try harder next year and do something better.
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  I get to go home and practice my skill and work with a different coach, work with a trainer,
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  work with whatever you have to, to be able to become better than what you were.
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  And so don't take it as criticism, but as constructive criticism to always improve on
• 2:19
  the areas that you need to improve versus having the bad attitude about it.
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  I do have some questions for you about this podcast.
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  What are we going to talk about today?
• 2:28
  Okay.
• 2:29
  We are talking about holidays today.
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  Do you love the holidays?
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  Yes.
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  Why?
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  I don't know.
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  They're just fun.
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  What's your favorite holiday?
• 2:41
  I like Christmas.
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  I feel like that's my favorite.
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  Okay.
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  I love, I like the fall air.
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  I love decorating.
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  I like, I love Christmas.
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  I love decorating for Christmas.
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  I love being off a little bit more during the holiday season, seeing family and friends.
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  Is there anything that you don't like about the holidays?
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  Maybe like, probably like all the stress that happens during the holidays.
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  I feel like it's a big one, like trying to find everyone a gift and then like you can't
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  find one.
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  So you do have to give them a gift card or something.
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  I feel like that's pretty stressful.
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  I think that kids have stress during the holidays and I think that adults, we create a lot of
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  our own stress.
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  And I think that's what something that can help us and we can dive into a little bit
• 3:41
  in this podcast as far as enjoying this holiday season.
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  What happens if we take these simple approaches and apply them to this holiday season?
• 3:55
  And so we are able to maybe enjoy the holiday season for maybe the first time.
• 4:02
  And for the listeners out there, we again are just going to encourage to write, leave
• 4:08
  a review.
• 4:09
  We know that tens of thousands of people are watching on YouTube, Spotify, Apple podcasts.
• 4:16
  And so I don't know what is the stigma or what's going on, but they say that just to
• 4:24
  leave a review, leave a comment, rate us.
• 4:28
  And that way our podcast grows and so we can reach more people that don't know Christ,
• 4:31
  that don't have faith, that they can walk with us in their faith journey and have a
• 4:37
  kid's perspective, have an adult's perspective.
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  And so I think that's where we come in as we are unique to have a vast difference of
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  opinions and perspective and age and can still walk together in this journey.
• 4:52
  So we do ask you and thank you so much for listening in and tuning in as we walk through
• 4:58
  season two.
• 4:59
  Okay.
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  My first question is how do the holidays go to, how do the holidays spread the word of
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  God?
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  Oh, I mean, and so we have, we just finished, and it wasn't really a holiday.
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  It's kind of a made up thing, the Halloween.
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  And as we go into Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year's, can we directly say that Jesus
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  had anything to do with the said holidays?
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  No.
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  You know, theologians out there and we know about, you know, Christmas and the dates and
• 5:39
  things of that nature.
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  But to be thankful is really about Christ.
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  I mean, and so to have that month of Thanksgiving, everybody does like, you know, one day, day
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  one, I'm thankful for this.
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  I think that just having a thanks and maybe starting a practice come November of giving
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  God thanks every day, just for one thing, start off simple.
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  And by maybe day 10, day 15, you're like, oh my gosh, this is really easy.
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  I really have a lot of things to be thankful for.
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  And maybe even if you really are maybe even just a negative person, just trying to name
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  one simple thing we know studies show gratitude attitude really is can rewire your brain.
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  And so taking that depression and that anxiety can really be lifted if we have an attitude
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  of gratitude during the seasons.
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  And how can you not bring Jesus into Christmas?
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  I mean, and that's how I think that just a simple attitude, thanksgiving and giving thanks
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  and looking out of everything that you have around you, just be the son.
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  If you don't have family, if you don't have friends, you know that you do have a father,
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  you do have a Lord and Savior that wants a relationship with you.
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  So you're never really alone during the holiday season.
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  Okay, my second question is what holiday get gives you the most stress and why?
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  I don't get stressed out over the holidays.
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  You don't know.
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  I think that I do have some practical tips to help maybe parents and moms, maybe even
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  teens that I don't I'm not getting I'm not going to get stressed out.
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  I'm not going to lose my joy over a day because I think we're missing the whole point of the
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  holiday season.
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  And so like we plan ahead, like we know whose house we're going to, we know what food we're
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  bringing and don't we don't go like over and abundant.
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  I mean, like, you know, you have these families that like have all this food and then they
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  complain because they have all the leftovers.
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  You know, have a meat, have a vegetable, have a dessert, potentially.
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  Have some fruit.
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  You don't need to be having all the things.
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  I mean, it's just really just not it's not practical.
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  We set budgets and so we do not we don't go over above and beyond on gifts because it's
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  not about, you know, receiving all this extravagant gifts.
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  And I'm not going to go broke trying to impress somebody or trying to get something that I
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  can't afford.
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  And so we set budgets.
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  We and we share the responsibilities in our family.
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  And so it's not about one person doing all the things.
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  It's about like, you know, that one person is going to cook the meat.
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  The next person is going to bring a side dish.
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  One comes up with the games.
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  I mean, so it's really we delegate our stuff.
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  I say no, I'm not going to all the parties.
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  I'm not going to all the things I don't want to.
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  I'm not going to.
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  I'm not going to make different, you know, people during the holiday season.
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  You know, so I mean, saying no to.
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  All the invites, I mean, and this for you, I mean, you you say no to parties here now
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  because you don't like to be burned out.
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  You think that there's you know, you had too much going on in that week and that you just
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  need time to decompress.
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  And so how can kids turn down invitations to parties?
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  Well, I do.
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  I just looked at like what if I did something the night before and like I just come home
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  from like something that big and everything like that and look at my week schedule, what
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  I'm doing the next day.
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  And like, do I really want to be burned out on that day for like the entire day?
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  Because I don't feel like it's worth that because, you know, they're probably going
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  to have like another party or something like that.
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  Yeah.
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  And I just cordially say, you know, I don't want to come or I can't come.
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  I'm too tired.
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  And just be honest, I've just been really busy.
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  Nothing against you, but I've got to get some rest.
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  And I stay healthy during the holiday seasons just because the holidays are here and everyone
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  talks about like comfort food and like this.
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  You know, we stay on plan.
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  We stay on our healthy diet.
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  We don't give up workouts.
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  We don't miss workouts.
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  And I think that is so important to keep your exercise regular, keep your healthy eating
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  regular.
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  And we don't go off the bandwagon.
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  We don't go off to overindulge to like, oh my gosh, I gained 10 pounds, you know, during
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  the holiday season, you know, just to be miserable come January.
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  To me, I mean, that's just not worth it.
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  And again, we just talked about it, but we practice gratitude and taking a moment every
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  day to reflect on the thankfulness of what we have.
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  And it really kind of helps shift your focus from stress to joy.
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  Like you know, oh my gosh, I'm so stressed out.
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  I have all these parties too, but oh my gosh, like I have friends that have invited me someplace.
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  I have a church community that is doing so much for us.
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  And so really just taking a step back and saying, you know what, I can't believe I'm
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  so privileged to have so many people in my life that love me, that want to spend time
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  with me.
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  That is amazing.
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  And so I think that those just like seven practical tips, planning ahead, setting a
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  budget, delegating those tasks.
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  It's not all your responsibility.
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  Saying no, don't be an overindulger.
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  Don't go off the rail, off your diet, because you're going to feel like junk.
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  You know, it's not worth gaining that 10, 15 pounds during the holiday season, everyone
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  does.
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  And simplify your traditions.
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  I mean, simplifying your life and you know, not going over and just so extravagant, make
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  it to where everybody's enjoying themselves.
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  And that you can focus on each other.
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  And it's just unnecessary stress.
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  And then practicing your gratitude.
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  I think that that could really help people not be so stressed out during the holiday
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  season.
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  Okay, my third question is, why do we have holiday days that are not based on God?
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  If like God made it the world, why wouldn't he like give him like stuff like holidays?
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  You know, talking about?
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  Okay.
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  Like, why wouldn't there be why wouldn't they like have holidays based on God, even though
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  there is, but like, that is not like, people don't think that's the true meaning.
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  Like why don't people believe in that?
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  That's a good question.
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  And so we have Easter.
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  And so what does Easter represent?
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  The resurrection of Christ.
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  And then we have Christmas.
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  Jesus in birth.
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  But not all people believe in that.
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  No, but also too, does God need anything from us?
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  No.
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  Does he need to hear our praise?
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  No.
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  No.
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  But do we get to praise him?
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  Do we get to celebrate him every day?
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  What happens if we looked at every day as a holiday?
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  And just praise God.
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  I mean, every day could be a holiday where we praise God because he's given you the ability
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  to get up, breath in your lung.
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  You know what I'm saying?
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  So like every day is a day to rejoice and be glad that we have God on our side and someone
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  that woke us up.
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  And he doesn't need anything from us, but we get to be in the presence of the Almighty
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  God.
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  And so he doesn't need to create holidays.
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  And also too, we live in a sinful world.
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  And so people have free will and so they're going to celebrate what they want.
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  What is your favorite holiday that brings you joy and why?
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  I'd say Christmas.
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  And why?
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  Traditions.
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  The smell.
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  I remember the smell of like going over to my grandma's house and like sitting in the
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  corner of the house and we were just like, we were just together.
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  And it always snowed whenever I was little.
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  We always had white Christmases.
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  And I remember just a few Christmases ago here, like I was running.
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  I mean, after we did gifts and after we did breakfast, I was running outside in a tank
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  top.
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  It was so hot that Christmas.
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  I was like, oh my gosh, this is what people in Florida experience.
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  It was so crazy.
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  I mean, because one, we live in Illinois and so you can really have seven seasons in one
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  week.
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  I mean, it can be 30 degrees and then the next day it could be 80 for some reason.
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  Today.
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  Yeah, it's almost November and it was like 85.
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  It was warm.
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  It was so good.
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  And then Christmas cookies.
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  And so we get to make Christmas cookies with my mom every year.
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  And that's what we did for me just growing up.
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  We made Christmas cookies every year, except for as an adult, I don't eat the Christmas
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  cookies.
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  But it's just a tradition that's simple.
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  I go over to my mom's house or she comes over here and it's just something for Gia to have
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  and remember and pictures and putting up all the Christmas trees and just celebrating the
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  birth of Jesus as a day of remembrance.
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  Not that it was his actual birthday, but just a way to visibly celebrate him and just bring
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  just the time just to be more with family.
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  Okay.
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  I know how you like to control things and like everything like that.
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  So are you saying that I have a control issue?
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  Oh yeah, you definitely do.
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  Okay.
• 16:39
  Thanks so much.
• 16:40
  Thanks.
• 16:41
  And like, so how do you feel like if you don't run like the holidays, like how you would
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  want it?
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  How do you feel like what's going on in your mind when you like some things like out of
• 16:55
  like order another like Christmas?
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  I've gotten a lot better at lack of control because I can't control everything.
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  And we really got to go and learn with the flow.
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  Just like in our basketball, you have to, with motion, you got to go with the flow.
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  I mean, you got to be constantly, you got to move, you got to adapt.
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  And again, I'm not going to let that day or situation or person steal my joy because where
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  is our joy found?
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  God.
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  And I think that whenever we have joy and we have peace, we have, we have John 16 33
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  and it says, I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace in the world
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  you have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.
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  Jesus reassures us that we can have peace and joy in him even in the moments that we
• 18:02
  are feeling overwhelmed.
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  And you have Nehemiah 8 10, do not grieve for joy of the Lord is your strength.
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  God's joy strengthens us and reminding us that his joy is our foundation through the
• 18:17
  rough times because the holiday seasons can bring out some honoring us and people and
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  you know, families don't like each other and they're just sitting in a room, you know,
• 18:26
  talking and it really is like we have to remember, you know, Romans 15 13, may the joy of hope
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  fill you and with all the joy and peace that as you trust in him so that you may overflow
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  with hope and power of the Holy Spirit, trusting God to fill us with joy and peace enables
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  us to rise above all that stress.
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  And knowing that he's already was in my tomorrow, that he's made a way that he's given me all
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  the fruits of the spirit, I think it really can help you just just be present in that
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  day.
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  That's all the questions I got.
• 19:04
  You have any questions like for me or what is your favorite holiday tradition?
• 19:09
  Oh, probably going over to my grandma's house and just eating all the food until we practice
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  overindulgence.
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  And let's be real honest, Gia is a super picky eater.
• 19:27
  Like she likes macaroni and cheese.
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  She barely eats any meat and she likes rolls and she likes cookies.
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  Does she know better options for her?
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  Yes, but is she a typical 13 year old girl?
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  Yes.
• 19:46
  What is something that you could change to make your holiday season less stressful this
• 19:49
  year?
• 19:50
  Probably just give all my stress to God.
• 19:57
  And how would you do that?
• 20:00
  By like, just like print him, like just have having him take my anxiety away.
• 20:08
  Yeah.
• 20:10
  What about for your friends and things of that nature, could you set boundaries?
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  And so like, how about let's just have a party and let's just have a party.
• 20:22
  Let's not do gifts.
• 20:23
  That stresses me out.
• 20:24
  Like I don't you guys have everything that you want and need or how about we take the
• 20:29
  money that we were going to spend on each other and how about we donate it?
• 20:34
  And you guys could do to a charity or to, you know, the homeless or buy, you know, gift
• 20:40
  certificates to a place and do something meaningful like that.
• 20:44
  Is that something that youth could do?
• 20:46
  Yeah, I feel like that'd be a good idea.
• 20:49
  Okay.
• 20:50
  Is there anything that you are looking forward to in this next week?
• 20:59
  The weekend.
• 21:00
  I'm really ready for the weekend to come already.
• 21:05
  And we're recording this on Tuesday and know that we were on our way to small group on
• 21:11
  Sunday and I'm like, what is your best, you know, what's your favorite part of the weekend?
• 21:14
  And you know, she said it was the basketball game and I said, so what are you looking forward
• 21:19
  to next week?
• 21:21
  And she said Friday and I'm like, how can you skip the week already?
• 21:25
  Like how can you just don't don't move your life so fast that you miss the moment?
• 21:32
  But she was already excited for the weekend when it was still the weekend.
• 21:36
  And so I would encourage you guys to stay present in the week that you were in every
• 21:42
  day is such a blessing that God has given us an opportunity to shine light in someone's
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  darkness.
• 21:49
  Gia, do you want to pray us out?
• 21:51
  Yeah.
• 21:52
  Dear God, thank you for everything you've done for us.
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  Thank you that we get to go and spend time with our families this holiday and that we
• 22:00
  get to come and praise you throughout while we do and that we all have a good week and
• 22:05
  Jesus and I pray.
• 22:06
  Amen.
• 22:07
  Amen.
• 22:08
  So I do want to encourage you guys to to rate and review and leave a comment on our YouTube,
• 22:17
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• 22:21
  leaving a comment and we will answer you back and leave a review.
• 22:24
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• 22:30
  way and so have an amazing week.
• 22:33
  Bye.