A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....11-29 & 30-05...Let the Holidays Begin

Billie

[Billie]

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day

Free Republic made its debut in September, 1996, and the forum was added in early 1997.   Over 100,000 people have registered for posting privileges on Free Republic, and the forum is read daily by tens of thousands of concerned citizens and patriots from all around the country and the world.

A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day was introduced on June 24, 2002. It's only a small room in JimRob's house where we can get to know one another a little better; salute and support our military and our leaders; pray for those in need; and congratulate those deserving. We strive to keep our threads entertaining, fun, and pleasing to look at, and often have guest writers contribute an essay, or a profile of another FReeper.

On Mondays please visit us to see photos of A FEW OF FR'S VETERANS AND ACTIVE MILITARY

If you have a suggestion, or an idea, or if there's a FReeper you would like to see featured, please drop one of us a note in FR mail.

We're having fun and hope you are!
~ Billie, Dutchess, DollyCali, Mama_Bear, GodBlessUSA ~

Ready or not, the holiday season is upon us again! This past weekend began the busiest time of the year for most of us - from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. About this time three years ago - our first Christmas at the Finest - we asked for help from our readers in guest-writing a holiday thread, and your response warmed our hearts; you were such a big help to us, and got us through a very busy time with fun, interesting, and unique holiday threads. We appreciate you and couldn't do it without your support!

As I did last year, I'm posting the links to all our previous Holiday Threads - from 2002 , 2003, and 2004. Hope you enjoy them - you may even see yourself there!

Twenty-seven days til' Christmas.

Below are links to all of our Holiday Threads. Thanks to some of our Finest Regulars pitching in we've already scheduled the next few weeks with fun, pretty, interesting, and new Christmas posts.....and no reruns!

December 2002
Gingerbread House Contest
(FreeTheHostages/Billie)

Holiday Top Ten List Contest
(FreeTheHostages/Billie)

What Christmas Means to Me
(WVNan, JustAmy, Pippin, Diver Dave, Aquamarine, ST.LOUIE1 /Billie)

Places in the Heart
(Molly Pitcher/Daisyscarlett)

Christmas Pets
(Billie)

Profile of IssaquahKing
(Libertina/Dansangel)

Christmas Music
(Aquamarine and Daisyscarlett)

'Twas the Night Before Christmas
(Daisyscarlett)

Merry Christmas
(Daisyscarlett)


December 2003
Holiday Contest Rumsfeld Doll
(FreeTheHostages)

Name that Freeper Santa!
(Billie)

Oh Christmas Tree
(Billie)

A Bracebridge Christmas
(Mama_Bear)

Shop 'til you drop!
(Billie)

A Christmas Contest (Play Santa)
(FreeTheHostages)

Finest's Christmas Music
(Aquamarine)

Let Us Rejoice
(Billie)


December 2004
Aloha Mele Kalikimaka
(Billie)

A Bracebridge Christmas Revisited
(Mama_Bear)

Let it Snow!
(Billie)

Sights and Sounds of Christmas
(Aquamarine)

Welcome Home, Allegra
(Billie)

Deck the Finest Halls
(Mama_Bear)

12-23 thru 26-04 Let Us Rejoice (Christmas)
(Billie)

09-27-05 ~ Hall of Fame #13

THIS WEEK'S THREADS 11-28-05 Military Monday

Opinions by our own 'King of Ping' Every Thursday at the Finest The guy's good, folks!

[Victoria Delsoul]

OK :-)

[ru4liberty]

I've been really missing her lately. I realllllly wanted to talk to her when COB1 passed a few days ago. I'm sure they've met by now. Do you suppose they're talking about us? ;)

Merry Christmas, y'all!!!

[ru4liberty]

Oops! I meant TexasCowboy. It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks. ;)

[DollyCali]

Some Christmas "toons" from Pookie...

[DollyCali]

and just because I think it is funny.. (poor Cindy?) HA!!

[GodBlessUSA]

Thanks so much Dolly

[apackof2]

Ha! Great toons and the picture of "Mother" Sheehan is pricless

[The Mayor]

November 30, 2005

Greater Grace

Read:
Romans 3:21-30

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. —Romans 3:23-24

Bible In One Year: Acts 20:2, Romans 1-4

One morning, when our granddaughter Julia was quite young, she and her Nana were reading the Bible together. They came to the familiar verse, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Julia suddenly jumped up off the sofa and ran to get my father's weathered, marked-up King James Bible that I keep on a shelf in my office and that I had showed her that very morning. "It's very old," I told her solemnly.

She took the ancient Bible in her hand and ran back to Nana, excitedly found Romans 3:23, and read to her, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

"Yep," she said triumphantly, "Says the same thing in this one too!"

Sin has been with us from of old and will be with us as long as we live on this earth. But there is something older than sin—something that outlasts it. According to the hymnwriter Julia Johnston, it is the "marvelous grace of our loving Lord, grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!" The hymn concludes, "Grace, grace, God's grace, grace that will pardon and cleanse within; grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin!" (© Renewal 1938, Hope Publishing Co.)

Have you received His grace? —David Roper

How To Receive God's Grace
Admit you are a sinner (Romans 3:23).
Believe on Jesus (Romans 10:9-13).
Confess Jesus to others (Matthew 10:32).

Grace is infinite love expressing itself in infinite goodness.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
10 Reasons To Believe God Offers The Perfect Gift

[DollyCali]

A Cat's Decorating Tree 101

[GodBlessUSA]

I love that! How adorable! Do you think these kitties can stop by my house today and help me out? That's my job today. :)

[GodBlessUSA]

I have to show this to my daughter when she gets home. :)

[Pippin]

I saw a post earlier mentioning Texas Cowboy.

I just wanted to say that to me he'll alway be "Cobby" to me as I was introduced to him when he was COB1.

I was sad to hear he had gone on home to the Lord, but I was happy at the same time for him.

He now feels no more sorrow or pain.

And what Cobby brought to Free Republic and to those around him was more than I can say here (Besides, it's already been said by others more eloquently)

God bless you Cobby!

Thank you for all you did for the country and Free Republic.

Pippin

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Kirkuk, Iraq -- 101st Airborne Division Soldiers form a chain to move mortar rounds found in a massive weapons cache Sunday near Kirkuk. More than 2,700 rounds were discovered near an abandoned Iraqi military base. U.S. Army

Kirkuk, Iraq -- Soldiers pass an 82-mm mortar shell while emptying a massive weapons cache near Kirkuk Sunday. The weapons will be disposed of in a controlled detonation to ensure they don’t fall into terrorist hands for use against Iraqi citizens or coalition forces.

051127-M-0718M-004 Al Asad, Iraq (Nov. 27, 2005) - U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Cornett, an explosive ordnance technician checks to make sure the rounds are 37MM AAA after removing them from in a hole hidden in the side of the ridgeline on Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Capt. Howard G. Mariott (RELEASED)

051127-M-0718M-002 Al Asad, Iraq, (Nov. 27, 2005) - A close up of a weapons cache in the ridgeline on Al Asad Air Base. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Capt. Howard G. Mariott (RELEASED)

[Beth528]

To Billie and all of the good people here..I am asking for prayer for a friend that was shot in the head yesterday.He is a Fort Worth police officer and I am putting the last article up for you to read of what happened..

http://www.wfaa.com/

[Billie]

Christmas Magic
by Pippin

Greetings! And Merry Christmas!

Well, ‘Tis the Season!

Time for snow and sleigh rides, for jingle bells and roasted chestnuts on an open fire.

Come, then, sit by the fire and put your feet up and have an eggnog with me as I talk about magic.

Not the magic like in “Harry Potter” or even “Bewitched”! I’m talking real magic! The “magic” that on a night over 2 thousand years ago in a small village in Israel, born to a young peasant girl came to become our Salvation.

As it was said many times before, God so loved the World that He sent his own beloved Son to save us all. I find it interesting that, yes, even in the 1st century, that of all the places Jesus could have been brought into the world, it would be in what is now the most troubled region in the world. I suppose it is because it is there were He was needed the most.

And now, in a time of much evil and natural and political upheavals, a time we need to remember that long ago Christmas night and to call upon and to trust God and all His promises. Because, not like human politicians, God always keeps His promises!

I am troubled by the world’s attempts to usher Jesus and God out of it’s life.

They ban God from the schools and punish those who choose to pray in public, even to say grace before each meal.

They throw judges out of office for posting the Ten Commandments in their courthouses.

Each year there seems to be an ongoing battle to bann Christmas or at least take “Christ” out of Christmas! Just who’s birthday is it anyway? Now I’m hearing that certain department stores and other stores like Wal-mart and Target are even discouraging their employees and customers fro uttering the phrase “Merry Christmas” in their stores.

WHAT!?’’

Folks, it’s time we start to reclaim our Christian heritage.

It is time to reclaim the Holiday that brings us joy and even magic. It’s time to replace the Christ-Child back to the mangers and Nativity scenes that used to dot the town squares and it’s time we take back Christmas and tell those who find that celebrating God’s most precious Gift to the world offensive or abhorrent to “Take a hike”.

The magic that is Christmas should not be extinguished nor must God’s message be ignored. We need Christmas and we need the Salvation that came with it.

May each and every one have a

VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

May God bless you all!!!

[Billie]

To Billie and all of the good people here..I am asking for prayer for a friend that was shot in the head yesterday.He is a Fort Worth police officer and I am putting the last article up for you to read of what happened..

http://www.wfaa.com/

Oh, Beth, I am so sorry - am pinging a few others to your post so they might offer prayers for your friend, too. What a terrible thing to happen; praying for his recovery and for his family, friends and loved ones.

[luvie]

Prayers up for this injured police officer...that he'll survive this terrible thing!

[Beth528]

The Hospital said it would take a miracle for him to survive..I am praying for that miracle..I thank everyone of your for your prayers...

[Pippin]

Prayers up!

[GodBlessUSA]

This is absolutely beautiful. Thank you.
May you all and your families have a Blessed Christmas!