After weeks of shopping, hanging ornaments, planning meals, and making arrangements for flights home, Christmas is finally here. The pressure, anxiety, and worry will soon be over. It’s so easy to get so caught up in the hoopla and anticipation that we overlook the most important elements of the holiday. I was searching for something to reflect on this Christmas that might make this a better Christmas for you and me. These were the thoughts that went through my mind as I made the first of three trips to the airport on Christmas Eve. In this Five Minutes with Tony, Tony shares a Christmas story of an encounter with a shoeshine man.

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Before I could open the box my parents sat me down and told me that a neighbor boy’s father had been laid off and they couldn’t afford presents for my friend. Wouldn’t it be nice if I gave up one of my toys so that he would have something under his Christmas tree? In this Five Minutes with Tony, Tony discusses the tough decision he was forced to make on Christmas morning and the Christmas lesson we can learn from little children.
Scripture: “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.” Matthew 18:3-5
Reflection: Do you think that the six-year-old’s in your life would pass the test? How about your teenagers? Have you ever given up something that you wanted to help someone in need? How did that make you feel?

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Our living room is rarely used. It has become a place to go to make a quiet phone call, read or just get away from the noise and activity of the day. It’s our quiet room. It is also the place where my wife, Diane sets up the nativity scene each year, a place where I enjoy going to pray and reflect on the birth of our Savior. In this Five Minutes with Tony, Tony reflects on the nativity and its relationship to the Eucharist.
Scripture: “And she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.” –Luke 2:7
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst. –John 6:35
Reflections: Have you ever thought about the nativity and the Eucharist? what do you think of Tony’s comparison? Can we truly have Christmas every day in the Eucharist?

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Charles Fraune is the author of two books, “Slaying Dragons: What Exorcists See and What You Should Know” and “Swords and Shadows: Navigating Youth Amidst the Wiles of Satan.”
Charles has a Masters of Arts in Theology as well as an advanced Apostolic Catechetical Diploma. He is a teacher who has been writing for over 20 years.
Today we will be discussing two fascinating topics, Spiritual Warfare and Exorcism.
https://www.theslayingdragonsbook.com/
https://www.amazon.com/Slaying-Dragons-What-Exorcists-Should/dp/1692862138
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1735049727 (Spanish)
https://www.amazon.com/Swords-Shadows-Navigating-Youth-Amidst/dp/1074030958

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Restless Heart: My Struggle with Life & Sexuality by Kim Zember
Kim Zember speaks internationally about the love and freedom she has found in her life. She loves people and strives to be totally transparent, to help others know they are safe to do the same. When Kim is not in Southern California, she is most likely found in her 'home away from home', Ethiopia, surrounded by her 280+ children.

In this candid and vulnerable memoir, Kim Zember exposes details of her life that many wouldn’t dare to admit, let alone publish.
Her desires for women, money, and comfort lead her down a path far from that of her Christian upbringing. Her impulsive lifestyle, coupled with an underlying fear of being alone, constantly drives her to drown out the small whisper of God she hears in moments of silence and stillness.
Torn by her desires, she lives a double life, jumping back and forth from husband to girlfriends, drunken nights to morning church, Southern California real estate to nonprofit work in Ethiopia.
These pages of conflict, questioning, and seeking embody the struggle of a human soul. Yet even out of the darkest moments, love breaks through in radical ways and carries her into her God-given purpose, into serving others, into joy.
Kim’s transparency about her life offers encouragement to those seeking peace and joy for their own restless hearts. In the end, love wins.

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Dennis P. McGeehan is a Catechist, Cantor, Lector, Husband and Father of nine (eight on earth and one in God's care). He has published in Catholic magazines like The Word Among Us and Seton Homeschool. He also writes Homilies and Commentaries for Faith Catholic Publishing. He is a Fourth Degree member of the Knights of Columbus and a member of the Catholic Writers Guild. He blogs at www.warriorsworlddad.com.

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