Not Your Hallmark Christmas - I Do Every Day - December 1

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Not Your Hallmark Christmas
By Lisa Lakey

I love a good romance. I’m more than happy to curl up with a blanket and a bucket of popcorn and waste an entire day watching chick flicks. Throw in a snowy day, a Christmas mix-up, and a happy ending? You had me at Hallmark.

My husband, not so much. If nothing’s being blown up, shot down, or wrecked (apparently emotions don’t count here), he’s out.

That’s a pretty good picture of who we are.

I entered marriage with a Hallmark Christmas mentality. I wanted to experience love and laughter with a cute guy (nailed that part!) and experience my happily ever after. Sure, we’d have a few arguments here and there that would threaten to pull us apart, but we’d always find our way back to each other. We were “meant to be.”

The problem? Our life often looks more like an action film. There have been car wrecks, verbal blow-ups, and feelings of being shot down by the one we love the most. And y’all, it rarely even snows here.

But that’s reality. Hallmark movies, in all their fun, are fake. Reality? It’s not so bad. It’s been filled with laughs, romance, miracles, and struggles that made us stronger.

The problem would come if I compared my marriage (especially my husband and our romance level) to the fake standards of what I see in a Christmas flick.

My husband may not be an undercover prince with a castle in some unnamed European country, but he is a strong provider for our family, loves me despite my many faults, and gets my sense of humor. We may not have the mounds of snow, but we’ve shared carriage rides around a town square and snuggled by a fire during an ice storm (but then we lost power for two days and it was crazy cold).

Bottom line? Trade that Hallmark movie mentality for a real love story. Enjoy the romance flicks, but love your own romance more.

Feeling the holiday spirit? Here are “10 Ways to Prepare Your Heart for Christmas.”

The Good Stuff: And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10)

Action Points: Grab a couple of mugs of cocoa, curl up by the fireplace, and recall your own romantic moments. How did you meet? How did he propose? What stands out in your own life movie? Where have you seen challenges grow you more closely together?

I Do Every Day Let’s Go Vertical! prayer guide

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Salem Radio Network Speakers

Larry Elder is an American lawyer, writer, and radio and television personality who calls himself the "Sage of South Central" a district of Los Angeles, Larry says his philosophy is to entertain, inform, provoke and to hopefully uplift. His calling card is "we have a country to save" and to him this means returning to the bedrock Constitutional principles of limited government and maximum personal responsibility. Elder's iconoclastic wit and intellectual agility makes him a particularly attractive voice in a nation that seems weary of traditional racial dialogue.” – Los Angeles Times.

Mike Gallagher Mike Gallagher began his broadcasting career in 1978 in Dayton, Ohio. Today, he is one of the most listened-to talk radio show hosts in America, recently having been ranked in the Talkers Magazine “Heavy Hundred” list – the 100 most important talk radio hosts in America. Prior to being launched into national syndication in 1998, Mike hosted the morning show on WABC-AM in New York City. Today, Talkers Magazine reports that his show is heard by over 3.75 million weekly listeners. Besides his radio work, Mike is seen on Fox News Channel as an on-air contributor, frequently appearing on the cable news giant.

Hugh Hewitt is one of the nation’s leading bloggers and a genuine media revolutionary. He brings that expertise, his wit and what The New Yorker magazine calls his “amiable but relentless manner” to his nationally syndicated show each day.

When Dr. Sebastian Gorka was growing up, he listened to talk radio under his pillow with a transistor radio, dreaming that one day he would be behind the microphone. Beginning New Year’s Day 2019, he got his wish. Gorka now hosts America First every weekday afternoon 3 to 6pm ET. Gorka’s unique story works well on the radio. He is national security analyst for the Fox News Channel and author of two books: "Why We Fight" and "Defeating Jihad." His latest book releasing this fall is “War For America’s Soul.” He is uniquely qualified to fight the culture war and stand up for what is great about America, his adopted home country.

Broadcasting from his home station of KRLA in Los Angeles, the Dennis Prager Show is heard across the country. Everything in life – from politics to religion to relationships – is grist for Dennis’ mill. If it’s interesting, if it affects your life, then Dennis will be talking about it – with passion, humor, insight and wisdom.

Sean Hannity is a conservative radio and television host, and one of the original primetime hosts on the Fox News Channel, where he has appeared since 1996. Sean Hannity began his radio career at a college station in California, before moving on to markets in the Southeast and New York. Today, he’s one of the most listened to on-air voices. Hannity’s radio program went into national syndication on September 10, 2001, and airs on more than 500 stations. Talkers Magazine estimates Hannity’s weekly radio audience at 13.5 million. In 1996 he was hired as one of the original hosts on Fox News Channel. As host of several popular Fox programs, Hannity has become the highest-paid news anchor on television.

Michelle Malkin is a mother, wife, blogger, conservative syndicated columnist, longtime cable TV news commentator, and best-selling author of six books. She started her newspaper journalism career at the Los Angeles Daily News in 1992, moved to the Seattle Times in 1995, and has been penning nationally syndicated newspaper columns for Creators Syndicate since 1999. She is founder of conservative Internet start-ups Hot Air and Twitchy.com. Malkin has received numerous awards for her investigative journalism, including the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL) national award for outstanding service for the cause of governmental ethics and leadership (1998), the Reed Irvine Accuracy in Media Award for Investigative Journalism (2006), the Heritage Foundation and Franklin Center for Government & Public Integrity's Breitbart Award for Excellence in Journalism (2013), the Center for Immigration Studies' Eugene Katz Award for Excellence in the Coverage of Immigration Award (2016), and the Manhattan Film Festival's Film Heals Award (2018). Married for 26 years and the mother of two teenage children, she lives with her family in Colorado. Follow her at michellemalkin.com. (Photo reprinted with kind permission from Peter Duke Photography.)

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Not Your Hallmark Christmas - I Do Every Day - December 1

Carbonatix Pre-Player Loader

Audio By Carbonatix

I Do Every Day devotional banner

Not Your Hallmark Christmas
By Lisa Lakey

I love a good romance. I’m more than happy to curl up with a blanket and a bucket of popcorn and waste an entire day watching chick flicks. Throw in a snowy day, a Christmas mix-up, and a happy ending? You had me at Hallmark.

My husband, not so much. If nothing’s being blown up, shot down, or wrecked (apparently emotions don’t count here), he’s out.

That’s a pretty good picture of who we are.

I entered marriage with a Hallmark Christmas mentality. I wanted to experience love and laughter with a cute guy (nailed that part!) and experience my happily ever after. Sure, we’d have a few arguments here and there that would threaten to pull us apart, but we’d always find our way back to each other. We were “meant to be.”

The problem? Our life often looks more like an action film. There have been car wrecks, verbal blow-ups, and feelings of being shot down by the one we love the most. And y’all, it rarely even snows here.

But that’s reality. Hallmark movies, in all their fun, are fake. Reality? It’s not so bad. It’s been filled with laughs, romance, miracles, and struggles that made us stronger.

The problem would come if I compared my marriage (especially my husband and our romance level) to the fake standards of what I see in a Christmas flick.

My husband may not be an undercover prince with a castle in some unnamed European country, but he is a strong provider for our family, loves me despite my many faults, and gets my sense of humor. We may not have the mounds of snow, but we’ve shared carriage rides around a town square and snuggled by a fire during an ice storm (but then we lost power for two days and it was crazy cold).

Bottom line? Trade that Hallmark movie mentality for a real love story. Enjoy the romance flicks, but love your own romance more.

Feeling the holiday spirit? Here are “10 Ways to Prepare Your Heart for Christmas.”

The Good Stuff: And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10)

Action Points: Grab a couple of mugs of cocoa, curl up by the fireplace, and recall your own romantic moments. How did you meet? How did he propose? What stands out in your own life movie? Where have you seen challenges grow you more closely together?

I Do Every Day Let’s Go Vertical! prayer guide

Visit the FamilyLife® Website
FamilyLife 728 banner

 

Salem News Channel Today

Sponsored Links

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