{"id":1738,"date":"2023-12-01T13:56:46","date_gmt":"2023-12-01T13:56:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\/?p=1738"},"modified":"2026-04-14T06:20:23","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T06:20:23","slug":"dear-friends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\/dear-friends\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear Friends"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-ca5ff7a6 alignfull uagb-is-root-container\"><div style=\"font-size:24px\" class=\"has-text-align-center has-link-color adobe-reg-italic wp-elements-85a8a21107b8ee66b96e773a6aa630b7 wp-block-post-date has-text-color has-web-light-green-color\"><time datetime=\"2023-12-01T13:56:46+00:00\">December 1, 2023<\/time><\/div>\n\n<h2 style=\"color:#ffffff;font-size:45px;font-style:normal;font-weight:600;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:4px\" class=\"has-text-align-center has-link-color proxima-font wp-elements-8489a226fd32958d683121eb2fa02d00 wp-block-post-title has-text-color\">Dear Friends<\/h2><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-container uagb-block-213f2819 alignfull uagb-is-root-container\"><div class=\"uagb-container-inner-blocks-wrap\">\n<p class=\"adobe-reg has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f0d055d901582de3e38367534828e2bb wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1a1a1ab3;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0px\">Dear Friends,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"adobe-reg has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-c692f47634d80f13474fc77f1b6a7daa wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1a1a1ab3;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0px\">Many of us have cherished Christmas memories and stories. But while reminiscing feels good in the moment, our family\u2019s present circumstances can threaten to overshadow the true reason for the season. Because perhaps more than any other holiday, Christmas is loaded with emotions and expectations. Christian families with gay and transgender loved ones often feel particularly helpless this time of year when the longing for joy and peace collides with unwelcome anxiety and conflict. We may find despair in our family\u2019s current \u201cstory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"adobe-reg has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-699b35f7944aed31133087c413b8f4f5 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1a1a1ab3;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0px\">Just when hope seems far-off&nbsp; &#8211; God is with us. <strong><em>Immanuel<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"adobe-reg has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-000f89907b133efb7d5fc1bebc6c0d92 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1a1a1ab3;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0px\">Two thousand years ago, the first Christmas was also laden with emotions and expectations. During the height of Roman oppression and cruelty, Israel cried out to God for deliverance. Thankfully, His mission was not hindered by tumultuous times, but instead was fully engaged for <em>\u201cwhen the right time came, God sent his Son\u201d1.<\/em> In a cramped, stinky stable in backwoods Bethlehem, God chose to personally enter humanity. Scripture records the angel Gabrielle announcing to Mary, \u201cYou will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. &nbsp;He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,&nbsp;and he will reign over Jacob\u2019s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.\u201d2<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"adobe-reg has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f7d99dd80e65bb23ffd8cf8852706dae wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1a1a1ab3;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0px\">Just when hope seems lost &#8211; God is with us<em>. <\/em><strong><em>Immanuel.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"adobe-reg has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-65663614f4331f606855c429853563fa wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1a1a1ab3;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0px\">Contrary to people\u2019s image of the conquering king, Jesus grew up without political power or status. He proclaimed, <em>\u201cI am the way, the truth and the life \u2013 no one comes to the Father except through Me.\u201d3 <\/em>Ultimately, His declaration was overwhelmingly unpopular at the time. He was rejected and despised. The story twists and turns with betrayal and abandonment. The cross looked like a miserable ending. But as promised, three days later, Jesus victoriously rose from the grave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"adobe-reg has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4f91bccccb66d0a93a760c774ce38e59 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1a1a1ab3;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0px\">Just when hope seems dead &#8211; God is with us. <strong><em>Immanuel.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"adobe-reg has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-bca492425dc2f13d548a9c8a1f78906b wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1a1a1ab3;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0px\">This Christmas season and in the new year, I encourage you to prayerfully surrender your circumstances to the LORD. Trust Him to work wonders, most likely in mysterious ways. Allow Him to incline your heart to align with His. Accept His wisdom. Follow where He leads. And may you witness redemption, restoration, and reconciliation woven into your family\u2019s story. <em>\u201cWe know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.\u201d4<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"adobe-reg has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1c984482554b6b3c64beb6d867f68eff wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1a1a1ab3;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0px\">Rejoice, my precious friends! We are not alone. Our hope is secure in Christ Jesus &#8211; who was, who is, and who is to come. God is with us.<strong> <em>Immanuel!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"adobe-reg has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-9b9a401a92404fa476f105bc2a74b9f7 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1a1a1ab3;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0px\">1Galatians 4:4<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"adobe-reg has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-4de0ac1c5d40f38a69ad7b2dac0e154d wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1a1a1ab3;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0px\">2Luke 1:31-33<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-6bb08c8ed5e38b920df7568767a0bd9f wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1a1a1ab3;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0px\">3John 14:6&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"adobe-reg has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d74d9ef47855197b8a59f7e51e78f3fe wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1a1a1ab3;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0px\">4Romans 8:28<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"adobe-reg has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-dfd728d1124cb7ba2df7c8c3254a5734 wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"color:#1a1a1ab3;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0px\">New International Version (NIV)<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"gsp_post_data\" \r\n\t            data-post_type=\"post\" \r\n\t            data-cat=\"uncategorized\" \r\n\t            data-modified=\"120\"\r\n\t            data-created=\"1701439006\"\r\n\t            data-title=\"Dear Friends\" \r\n\t            data-home=\"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dear Friends, Many of us have cherished Christmas memories and stories. But while reminiscing feels good in the moment, our family\u2019s present circumstances can threaten to overshadow the true reason for the season. Because perhaps more than any other holiday, Christmas is loaded with emotions and expectations. Christian families with gay and transgender loved ones &#8230; <a title=\"Dear Friends\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\/dear-friends\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Dear Friends\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Denise Shick","author_link":"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\/author\/denise\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Dear Friends, Many of us have cherished Christmas memories and stories. But while reminiscing feels good in the moment, our family\u2019s present circumstances can threaten to overshadow the true reason for the season. Because perhaps more than any other holiday, Christmas is loaded with emotions and expectations. Christian families with gay and transgender loved ones&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1738"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1738\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1825,"href":"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1738\/revisions\/1825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/livingstonesministries.org\/help4families\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}