"My name is Jennifer Campbell and I live in Utah. I’m so excited to take part in this Christmas blog. Christmas is one of my most favorite times of year! I love the feeling of gratitude as well as the love that is so openly given during the holidays. I am grateful for the time of reflection it allows, to consider the wonderful gift Christ is in our lives. He is so very influential in my life and I love the focus that Christmas time draws on him. As I have thought about this opportunity over the last few weeks, I have had a million songs come to my mind. I have the best memories of childhood and adulthood, singing and sharing music to feel closer to the spirit of Christmas."
"The song that I have kept going back to is, Real by Nichole Nordeman. I heard this song for the first time last year. I couldn't stop playing it, singing it and teaching it to my children. Its message is so simplistic. I love that it gives a voice to those who took care and loved Jesus throughout his life. This song first talks about Mary, mother of Jesus. Her life must have been so filled with emotions, love, by far, being the strongest. To love a baby and know of His true mission and be willing for those things to happen took so much courage. I have always considered Mary to be a hero; strong and full of conviction. This song talks about the reality of those who reared and raised Jesus. Those who spent time with him and knew him. They were lowly and humble, yet were raising the Only Begotten of the Father. As a mother I think of the blessings of having a child, But also the caring and loving, sacrifice and time. What a blessing and a hardship for Mary to be the chosen mother of Jesus! This would have been such a great obligation, worry and heartache. Truly a gift, but a burden that I am so grateful that Mary was willing to bear. How humble and meek this woman had to have been! This song also speaks of Joseph. I have often thought of him and of what a great man he must have been to father, provide and take care of a son, not of his flesh. A true testimony of faith is unspoken by his willingness to do this for Christ."
"I am so very grateful for the blessing it is to have a knowledge of the Savior, to know that He is real. To know that the scriptures are not just stories of people who are fiction, but ones who lived, loved and learned. This time of year, our focus can be about the divinity and the truth of Christ instead of the gifts, ribbons and bows or the season. I know that He lived, I know that He lives and I know that He lived his life the way I should live. Loving, being neighborly, kind, generous, and faithful are all things that Christ taught in his life. I know that when I try to live as Christ lived, showing kindness and love that I am more able to feel Christ’s love in my life. This is a feeling that I wish for and want all year long. My hope and prayer is that you and I will feel of the reality of Christ in our own lives, that it will make us who we are meant to be. Christ is my Savior, my friend, my all. I love him and I know that he loves me too. I am thankful for his birth, death and his resurrection. This knowledge makes me feel comfort and hope that in the end I can be saved by His grace. Merry Christmas to all and make CHRISTmas real in your life this season and throughout the year."
Real
Written and performed by: Nichole Nordeman
Frozen statues in the cold
Washed in moonlight, blue and gold
Mary's babe in plastic hay
Quiet wonder on her face
Mary you look so serene
Far too pretty, much too clean
We might think we know you well
But what stories would you tell?
Of all the dirt and dust and shame
Every burning labor pain
And as I turn to walk away
I hear you say
I am real
Don't turn me into memory or myth
Let me be real
And I'll show you what it means to love like this
To be real
Shepherds bending to the ground
Bethlehem is safe and sound
Joseph you look brave and true
Do we know what it was like to be you
How many sleepless nights awake
Found you desperate and afraid
And as I turn to walk away
I hear you say
I am real
Don't turn me into memory or myth
Let me be real
And I'll show you what it means to love like this
To love like you don't even care about the hurry and the hustle
Like you are unaware December comes with so much trouble
'Cause you believe a baby came, not in paintings or in plays
But every minute, every hour, every day
To be real, real
You are real, real
Show us what it means to love like this
To be real
To be real
More than a memory
More than a story
Real
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