Follow Me to Shevarim.com

A big THANK YOU to everyone who’s been following Precious Holidays blog. We’ve gone through the calendar year twice, and hit (almost) every holiday. So I think it’s time to move forward.

I started a new blog at Shevarim.com. We’ll still talk about holidays, as they come up, but the new blog focuses more on current events that impact Christians, Jews, and Messianics, and getting along with one another. I invite you to read and comment often. I hope to get some real discussions going.

And don’t forget: You can always look up holiday information and ideas at the Precious Holidays website: PreciousHolidays.org.

As time goes by, look for the greater good.

After the festivities of New Year’s Eve, on the first day of the new year, my family and I like to watch an old classic movie together. One of my all-time favorites is Casablanca. Set during the height of the Holocaust, Casablanca tells the story of fallible people who see the greater good, and choose to be a part of it.

Rick’s Cafe, the hub of activity in the film, still stands in Casablanca, a waterfront town in Morocco. In the film, Humphrey Bogart, who plays Rick, makes mention of the threat of being sent to a concentration camp. That was no vague reference to Germany. The pro-fascist French Vichy government established concentration camps throughout Africa, and one in particular in Morocco.

The Italian government also established concentration camps. In fact, even though Tunisia was the only Arab land actually occupied by Nazis, more than 100 concentration camps stood in Arab lands.

As time goes by, we’ve accepted the idea that Arabs and Jews have always hated one another and always will. But that is not the whole truth.

In the spring of 1943, near the mountain of Tunisia, a group of about 60 Jewish men working in forced labor escaped their captors in the heat of a battle. Not knowing where they were or who they could trust, they took a chance at the nearest shelter. It was a farm belonging to a Muslim nobleman, Si Ali Sakkat. Si Ali Sakkat was suddenly confronted with a moral dilemma. He chose to be part of a greater good. He gave refuge to all 60 Jews, and cared for them in his home.

Joseph Naccache, a Jewish Holocaust survivor now living in Paris, tells the story of his Tunisian neighbor, Abdul Jalil, who extended his home to Jews.

Abdul Jalil’s son explains what his father taught him. “He hid Mr. Naccache, because Muslims and Israelites– ‘the Jews’ as you call them–they were almost like brothers. Like brothers. Each had their own religion, but we used to live like brothers. For us, it’s an honor. Above all, a Jew or a Christian, or a Muslim, is a human being, part of humanity.”

When we look for good, we will find it, even through fallible people in dark times. Look for goodness in the coming year, and choose to be part of the greater good.

Copyright 2010, Kathryn A. Frazier.  http://PreciousHolidays.wordpress.com

Try Simple Acts of Sharing this Holiday Season

As a child, I gazed with curiosity at the hanukkiah in the window of the local synagogue. I knew Jews celebrated the Festival of Lights; but all the Jews I knew celebrated a secular Christmas. (This was before Hanukkah went mainstream.) I’m embarrassed to admit that I never heard the story of the Macabees until I was thirty-something. My pastor’s wife, a Jewish Christian, brought sugar cookies shaped like Stars of David to Bible study one Hanukkah. That simple act of sharing sparked questions in my heart that changed the course of my life.

I believe that the key to Jewish and Christian harmony can be found in these simple acts of sharing our faith, sharing our culture, sharing our heritage. Holidays are a non-threatening way to share. At least, they should be.

You’d be surprised at the amount of hate mail I get. Most of the hate mail comes from Gentile Christians-turned-Messianic who try to convert both Christians and Jews to their brand of faith. They don’t like the holidays they grew up with, and they don’t want anyone else to like them, either. They take it upon themselves to go out of their way to stop the fun. One letter even decried the evils of “merry making”. I believe the expression is “LOL”.

I find spiritual meaning in both the celebrations of Hanukkah and Christmas. Both observances strengthen my faith in God and hope in mankind. But I’m OK with secular celebrations. I don’t feel compelled to make you believe my way.

If people from all faiths and no faith can come together for a season, give to the poor, love their families, dote on their children, and be a part of something bigger than themselves, does it really matter why? My faith is not dependent on whether or not a manger scene is erected on public property.

I wish that those people who choose to focus on division would look up and around and see the great unity of the holiday season. I wish they would use the opportunity to share what is good and loving about their faiths. Maybe try it just once. But even if they don’t, I plan to make merry.

Enjoy this great holiday video by Matisyahu!

See also: Dos and Don’ts for Interfaith December Dilemma

We Thank Our Vets A Pittance of Time

Today, November 11, 2010, is Veteran’s Day in the USA. We remember the men and women who served and are serving in the military, to keep our country free.

Please take a moment to experience this encouraging music video,  A Pittance of Time, by Terry Kelly, in honor of our veterans.

 

Sukkot Celebration from Jerusalem

Live feed of the Feast of Tabernacles 2010  from the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem.

http://www.icej.org/articles/feast_of_tabernacles_live_feed

Joy and Gladness in the Season of Answered Prayer

The Season of Teshuvah is sometimes called The Season of Answered Prayer. Is God more active on our behalf during this season? Are we more humble, causing him to intercede for us more? Or are we just more aware of his everyday grace? I can’t say. But I know that he answers prayer, and my prayer for this season is that of the Psalmist, “Renew a right spirit within me. . . restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.”

I always considered Psalm 51 a prayer of contrition, but lately I’ve been noticing its hopefulness.

David wrote it after he impregnated Uriah’s wife, and killed the man to cover his sin. Though David recognized the inexcusable state he was in, he also proclaimed his belief that he would again rejoice. When his sins were forgiven, he declared, he would know joy and gladness, and others would turn to the Lord for salvation.

Now in the Season of Teshuvah, the days of turning, before the High Holidays, we recognize our own inexcusable state, and turn our faces toward our Savior. We pray he will create in us clean hearts and right spirits.

This past year has been the hardest I’ve ever faced. As the song says, my heart lies panting on the floor. Now I’m ready to remember the joy of God’s salvation. As we approach Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year, I’m ready for a fresh start.

Renew a right spirit within me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation. I hope in my Savior.

Copyright 2010, Kathryn A. Frazier  http://PreciousHolidays.wordpress.com

See also: Restoration in the Season of Teshuvah

Grieving for My Prodigal Child

Happy New Year ~ 5770!

Last Minute Gifts for Dad $10 or Less

Quick! It’s almost Father’s Day! Gift ideas for $10 or less.

Music Downloads

Borrow Dad’s MP3 player, and surprise him with a mix of his favorite songs. If you buy music online from Walmart at 94 cents per song, a mix of eight songs costs $7.52. And check out their list of $7 albums.

Download free Christian worship music, or an audio Bible from Firefighters for Christ.

If Dad is interested in the Jewish roots of Christianity, he’ll enjoy music by Liberated Wailing Wall .  Scroll to the bottom of the page for free downloads.

Make a mix CD from Dad’s own CD collection. Instructions at ThriftyFun.com.

If you don’t have time for those, do this: Purchase an MP3 music e-gift card online from Walmart . It will be delivered to Dad’s e-mail within hours, and he can choose his own music. Available from $10.00.

Stationary Creations

Make Dad a homemade calendar. Scan a different family photo for each month, and add family birthdays and anniversaries. Print, and staple together. The free photo calendar template at homemadegiftsmadeeasy.com includes a video tutorial.

Print free military or golfing stationary at hp Creative Studio.

Make return address labels in a theme that reflects Dad’s interest, using free templates at www.avery.com . Avery address labels cost $4.99 at Best Buy.

If you don’t have time for those, do this: Swing by your local 24 hour post office, and pick up pre-stamped post cards. A booklet of 10 stamped cards costs $8.95. Slip booklet into an envelope, and write a greeting on the front.

Eats

Purchase a bag of fat stick pretzels, and some white chocolate chips. Melt the chips in the microwave, and dip half of each pretzel. Let harden, cover with plastic wrap and present in a gift box.

Mix together equal parts raisins, peanuts, and—if Dad has a sweet tooth—plain M&Ms. If Dad doesn’t like chocolate, use sweet dried banana chips. Present in a resealable container, or in individual serving size plastic bags.

If you don’t have time for those, do this: Pick up two or three assorted hot sauces, barbecue sauces, single-pot coffee packets, or specialty seasoned salts, and present in a gift bag.

Do you have last minute gift ideas that cost $10 or less? Please share! 

See also: 5 Fun Dates Under $10

Romantic Gifts to Make for $5 or Less

$3 Fudge Recipe for Mother’s Day