Christmas Special

This is Hans Schile from the Finishing Well Podcast.

On Finishing Well, we help you make godly choices about Medicare, long-term care, and your money. Your chosen Truth Network Podcast is starting in just seconds. Enjoy it, share it, but most of all, thank you for listening and choosing the Truth Podcast Network. This is the Truth Network. Now, The Devil's Nightmare. Welcome back to another episode of It's Time to Man Up. Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas. Bet you didn't expect that, did you? From the Russian nightmare, Nikita Kola.

No one snows snow like Nikita. That would be my guest host, Robbie Dilmore, the Christian car guy. Robbie, welcome back to the Mad Up Show. I love these specials. Like, man, I'm ready. I'm ready for Christmas. What a wonderful, wonderful special. Well, Christmas is a special holiday. Have you ever thought about this, Robbie? Let me ask you this.

What's the only birthday celebration where the birthday boy is never invited? It's sad, isn't it? Well, so, okay, hold on. People, like, because right now people are, like, scratching their head. They're like, wait, wait a minute.

What did he just say? How many birthdays are celebrated without the birthday boy or girl being there? Well, we have transitioned as a society. It seems like, when it comes to Christmas, that it's more about gifts and eating and gatherings than it is about what the actual day is celebrating, right?

Which is what, right? What's the history behind Christmas? Season's greetings, right?

And it's almost offensive when you hear it. Season's greetings. So, like, what season are you talking about? Fall, winter, spring?

Fall. Oh, my gosh. Anyway, so, yeah, it is Christ-mas.

Christ-mas. Which, interestingly, you know, when you look at that, the idea of us celebrating, you know, the incarnation, that what, you know, when we teach boot camp, you know, we talk about that that day where Christ came in was more like an invasion, you know, than necessarily the picture you see of this baby in a manger, you know, to Satan and his group. Like, his territory is being invaded by the one who will conquer it, right?

I mean, it was a D-Day invasion, and here he came, and it was announced in a big way. Boy, you upset the apple cart, didn't you? Really, really upset the apple cart. In fact, I mean, realistically, it's from calendars to, not just a day in a year, but just the calendar itself. I mean, it shifted everything. It changed everything, didn't it?

Oh, isn't it neat? Right, like, from, you know, obviously, you know, there's BC and there's AD, and, you know, that was a big, big change, but it's also a new covenant, right? And I don't know if you've ever put the number two, the connection to the number two to Christmas, but the number two in Hebrew is red. It's the crimson.

It's the same. You would spell it the same way as the word crimson, and so there were two tablets that Moses brought, right? And there's a new covenant, and there's an old covenant, a second covenant, right?

It's a fascinating thing that has to do with union, and it has to do with the idea of there needing to be two witnesses, and there's a similar thing that two has to do with the union of God and man, and the covenants were about that union of God and man, and so it's really unbelievable when you think about, like you said, upsetting the apple cart, like, oh, my goodness. You know, here the author of, I mean, it's unbelievable, the author of the story is coming into the story. Wow, the author of the story is coming, he's injecting himself right into the story, so he's not just writing the story.

Right. He's becoming, injecting himself and becoming a literal part of the story, which, so Christmas as a celebration of the birth of Jesus, right? That's, if we want to get technical, that's what the holiday is really about, right? The acknowledgement and the celebration of the birth of Jesus, hence what I was meaning when I introduced the show, right, and where we're at as a society. So we're celebrating the birth of Jesus, but in many parties, he's not even invited to the party. In fact, it's offensive if you bring him up.

At the party, right. Like, what the heck? I mean, what? Right, and or offensive, as you said, if you even say, Merry Christmas, right, or at least was, it seems to get a little better, but interesting, because, well, and of course, as on that note, so when a lot of people think about Christmas, you know, they think about singing, they think about gifts and presents and maybe even movies. Oh yeah, you got to think of movies. Right, so I mean, so there's all kinds of things.

And again, let me just say this. It's not to take away from the things we get to do centered around Christmas time, you know, with Christmas parties, right, or a Christmas dinner, right? Do you have, let me ask you this, do you have a traditional Christmas dinner?

Of course. Yeah, so what would be in the Robbie Dilmore home, what would be the traditional Christmas dinner in the Robbie Dilmore home? Well, I'm a deer hunter.

Ooh, okay. And there is a prize piece of meat in a deer that most people, when they're eating steak or they're eating lamb chops, well, they have the same kind of thing in a deer, that would be deer chops. But in order to do it, you know, you can never find deer that it's processed like that. But if you process your own deer, you can make like deer chops that are like T-bone steaks. And I cut them very, very thick. And those are grilled on the grill like you would grill a T-bone steak. And like my family, that's what we're having. So, you know, there's been a couple of times that it looked like dad wouldn't get to get a deer.

But God always provided, sometimes within a day of Christmas Eve, that we could have what would be the Dilmore family traditional Christmas dinner is those special deer steaks. Wow. Okay. I don't think I've, is that a Southern thing?

No, I've never, in fact, I don't know anybody else that... That does that. That does that. But it was just something I, you know, we had it, I knew that they loved them. I said, man, this is gonna make a great Christmas dinner.

And so God has provided for us to have that Christmas dinner. And I can assure you, I can see my daughter Tess with like six of those bones on her face. Wow. And like how far back does that go? I mean, like how many years ago did you kind of implement that into the family tradition, would you say? Almost at least 20.

Wow. And what even made you think of that, Rob? Like, why are we eating Rudolph? Which is what my granddaughter one time pointed out. Why are we eating Rudolph? She saw Rudolph hanging out there. And she didn't like that idea a whole lot, but she came to love it. You know, that's how that goes.

I just was so excited. Because to me, you know, it's one of the joys I have is I love to process animals, you know, and I guess... And I love to hunt. And so God had given me this bounty. And I have this sense that not unlike the Native Americans, that when you harvest an animal, it is giving its life so that you can have life. And to honor that and to literally, you know, pray with that animal as it's giving its life for you or accepting its offering as you is a lot different than getting a steak from the grocery store. Yeah, absolutely. Or a ham bone or anything.

Right, right. Which is more traditional in my house was ham, right? Ham and, you know, and of course, all the fixings that come along with it.

But that's fascinating. Why are we eating Rudolph? That was one of my favorite Christmas shows, by the way, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

Burro Ives, I think, was the narrator. Yeah, the Land of Misfit Toys. I always feel like that, yeah. Yeah. That'll preach right there, the Land of Misfit Toys. There was like 12 original misfits, I think. It goes way back. Right. It goes way back.

Speaking of the birth and life of Jesus, when he called out those original 12 misfits, right? Anyone who's watched Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer would probably correlate those two together. And Christmas movies, just think of this.

I find this challenging. Like how many Christmas movies, the theme line is, this is going to be the end of Christmas, right? Oh no, Christmas is over if it doesn't snow. Christmas is over if this happens. Christmas is over if that happens. Like, you know, the whole setup and the deal is like, oh, now they've taken out Santa Claus.

This is the end of Christmas. Right, right. The beauty of the ridiculousness of that plot line is like, what? You know, we won. I've seen the end of the story. But, you know, just how crazy is that?

Read the back of the book, yeah. Christmas isn't going anywhere. You can try to eliminate, go ahead and try to eliminate the word Christmas, but I've got news for you. He's not going anywhere, nor does he have any intention of going. He's here for eternity.

He's here forever, and which is amazing. Well, speaking of movies, let me just ask you too, what are, what are, do you have other favorite Christmas, I mean, we mentioned Rudolph, but any other favorite Christmas movie? I definitely, tradition for the, oh there is a tradition for the Dilmore family that when we sit down after Thanksgiving, you just count on, as sure as I'm sitting here, my daughter Mariah will load up elf, and we have to, and when other people are watching football, honestly, the key to, my dad's gone, so I can't watch football anymore, we will be loading up the movie elf, and we will be laughing about the world's greatest cup of coffee, okay? We'll be laughing about, you know, the three main food groups, you know, corn, candy corn, you know, syrup, you know, all that, that goes with elf. You've watched that movie before. Every, it's as long as we've been eating beer, we've been watching elf.

Oh my gosh, that is, that is pretty, that is a pretty, pretty funny. And here's a little known secret, here's, here's an insight into Robbie's life. My wife will tell you that Robbie watches Christmas movies year round. The lovey, sicky, sweet Christmas movies that lifetime, or whoever put out a thousand of, like, I love that setup of the couple that's gonna go, they're gonna go always, they're gonna decorate a tree together, they're gonna fall in love, and then, you know, hopefully get married on Christmas Day, there you go. Well, and of course, you know, we do kind of center, centered around a day, one day, right, Christmas, but it doesn't, I love that, because it doesn't have to be centered on, I mean, you can celebrate the birth of Christ any day and every day, right? Not just one day a year, right?

I hope so. So, well, for me, I tell you what, I, you know, of course, Frosty the Snowman was always a favorite, that Charlie Brown Christmas, another favorite. Speaking of Christmas trees.

Linus? Yeah. His poor, pitiful little tree, you know, Charlie Brown, Charlie Brown Christmas. It's awesome. And then a couple of classics, here's a couple classics, which you would probably, I'm sure, watch the ones you've watched 100 times. Miracle on 34th Street.

Of course. What a classic that one is, and it's a wonderful life. It's a wonderful life, my mother's movie, and when I got divorced, my mother had lived in Albuquerque at the time, and she flew me, I'd lived in Georgia at the time, and she flew me to come stay with her for Christmas.

So I was in a really low place, and I'd never seen that movie. And my mother's from an area not far from Bedford Falls. That's where she grew up, you know?

Really? And that whole like thing, you know? So, like, to watch that, and my mother looks like Donna Reed. I mean, if you were to see my mother, especially when she married my father, she looked identical to Donna Reed. And so, you know, for me to sit there and watch Wonderful Life with my mother, or any time I think about the show, I mean, you know, we don't get our wings without my mom, you know?

We just don't. I love it. I was taking my two youngest, Kendra and Colby, to Minnesota, Minnesota, to visit grandma for Christmas one year, and we did a road trip, just the three of us, and stopped in Indianapolis, Indiana. And I just found out right next to the hotel was this theater, like stage theater, and they were doing It's a Wonderful Life. Wow. Yeah, and I was able to get tickets. It was like a dinner theater.

Got tickets, took them. I'm not sure how much they appreciated it at that age. They were younger, as much as I appreciated it. And then when we got to Grandma's, then we actually, I don't know, back in those days, I think it was called a VHS tape or something. But anyway, we watched It's a Wonderful Life, and how the stage play depicted so closely to the actual movie itself. How they did it, it was amazing.

How did they split the swimming pool? Yeah, well, I mean, they didn't have every detail of the movie, but they sure had the crux of it, and so it was amazing. But anyway, so favorite movie. What about favorite Christmas songs? You're listening to The Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. If you would like to support Kolah for Christ Ministries, for a gift of $25, Nikita will send you his two CDs, Adoration and Declaration. For a gift of $50, Nikita will include his book, Wrestling with Success.

And for a gift of $100 or more, Nikita will include a signed copy of his newly updated life story, A Tale of the Ring and Redemption. Go to www.kolah.net and donate today. You're listening to The Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. Do you have, so do you listen to Christmas songs? Of course I do, I do. And actually at our church on Wednesday nights, the pastor, he always will have us sing a Christmas song or two before we begin the service on Wednesday night. That's just the deal.

Yeah, I'd love all those. But of course, if anybody who ever went to Calvary Baptist Church would have a very similar experience of O Holy Night. So Pastor Quartz, you may have heard of him, Mark Quartz, which was certainly the pastor for those of us at Calvary for all those years. When you knew somebody that loved Jesus, like Pastor Quartz loved Jesus, and when that person sings O Holy Night with every inch of their soul, it was unbelievable. It was just one of those things. And so many places on Facebook, almost every Christmas, and they'll still play it. Well, some of those songs just, I mean, some just get me, right? I mean, they just tap right into the core of my heart. And that was actually on my list, O Holy Night.

I'm looking at my list here. I'm like, yeah, that's one. White Christmas is another one. Silver Bells.

Silver Bells. How about Mary Did You Know? Oh, wow, yes. That's a good one, right? Oh, yeah. Mary Did You Know. Joy to the World? Of course. You like that one?

Any other, I've got a couple more, but any others that immediately come to mind for you? Well, you know, for me, you know, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, because, like, you know, I love to sing in the car with my kids or with my grandkids or whoever I got, you know, as to me, they go to the dark side and then quit singing with dad, okay? So, you know, you start singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, you know, it's like, man, you know, that's just, it's a great sing-along, car sing-along, you know? It is, isn't it? It is.

It really is. How about Silent Night? Oh, wow. That's one of my favorites. Silent Night. Holy Night. And I think, well, last but not least, I'm a little drummer boy.

Oh, oh, oh, oh. I tell you, you know who does a great rendition of that? For me, is a group called King & Country. King & Country. I've heard it.

The Small Bones. And remember the artist Rebecca St. James? Sure. Some have never connected the dots, but those are her brothers, you know. I did not know that. For real? You didn't? I did not know that.

That's awesome. So those are her little brothers. Her little brothers. And, you know, I lived in Nashville for just a season of time, and actually Rebecca wrote a song called Wait For Me. And it was about her waiting for the man that God had for her, not just marrying just anybody. Really?

But, yeah. And she wrote a book coinciding with the song Wait For Me. And I'm just going to state for the record, you can go on Amazon and still find this. So my oldest daughter, Taryn, is on the cover of Rebecca's book.

Oh, wow. And her picture is all through the book. And, yeah, highlighting that song, the lyrics of that song, I'm going to wait. And Rebecca actually waited into her 30s before she got married. She waited for the man God had for her. And so, yeah, King & Country, those are her brothers.

But that song, the little drum, the rendition they do with the drums and everything is, then go look it up if you've never listened to it, for you listening out there. But anyway, so some of the favorite movies, some of the favorite songs, and any other history, Robbie, that comes to mind, or any other thoughts on Christmas, why, besides the obvious, why it might be special to you? One of the reasons, and I can never forget that, you know, I was one of those that didn't come to Christ until later in life. And I, of course, you know, I guess since I was 31 years old, and I guess you're the same way, that I had experienced all those Christmases without Christ, that I'll never forget my first Christmas in Christ.

Like, I now had a relationship with Jesus, and I wanted to actually invite him to the party for a change. And so, that whole idea of, you know, from how the Grinch told Christmas, where are you Christmas? You know, why can't I find you? Well, you can't find him.

You can't find that song. You can't find Christmas without Jesus. And so, you know, one of my favorite things about Christmas is entering Advent with, I am so excited to share another Christmas with you in a more intimate and a more full way than I ever have before.

And so, my anticipation, actually one of the things, the neat things, like I got to hear about a week and a half ago, maybe it was two weeks ago, that I was going to get to do this show with you. And so, it just enters into that whole idea of getting closer to Jesus this Christmas than I was last Christmas. And where are we going, you know, in our journey? So, on that note, check this out. We're going to try to summarize.

Here's a couple things I wrote down, Robbie. Christmas is all about good news. At the core, Christmas is all about good news. But it's not the good news of special gifts or the good news of a big meal or a festive music and beautiful lights. Christmas is all about the good news of God's love.

It's about that good news. And the Bible says that every person desperately needs God's love. Without it, really, we're directionless, without protection, without real joy, true joy, right? Christmas is about, well, joy. Joy to the world, right?

And I would say this too, that Jesus came to rescue, Jesus came to recover, Jesus came to reconnect humanity with the Father, right? Darrell Bock Yeah, because in His presence, there's fullness of joy, right? There's no way you can have fullness of joy if you can't get in His presence. And so, as your friend said at the man-up conference, that only an eagle can look into the sun. If you're trying to fly away from all those at Christmas time that are trying to keep you from that relationship with Jesus, you just head—you can look at Jesus because you are covered in the blood.

And so, you, like an eagle, you can look straight at the sun, and I mean S-O-N. And you head for that, and in that presence is fullness of joy. Darrell Bock And you can head right into the holy of holies. You don't have to—it's not the priest going in once a year or one time a year.

You and I can go in at any given time of day or night or on any given day, not just on Christmas day. So, Robbie, so the good news of Christmas is that God sent Jesus to seek and save the lost. The Bible says there's only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God. That Jesus was truly human, and He gave Himself to rescue all of us. And so, for the listeners out there, Robbie, what would you say to the listeners out there maybe in this Christmas season that don't have a relationship with Christ? You know, on that note, what would you say to them? Robert Chisholm Don't you wonder why you hear something in your heart that's saying there's more than what you have as far as love and joy and peace?

Do you want to listen to that? And it comes with, you know, you've got to believe. It's faith. It's like, do you really believe Jesus is who He said He was? Do you believe He was God? Do you believe that He did die for you, and do you believe, you know, that what God is really for you and not against you?

I mean, that's huge. That's the stumbling block right there, that He would come and do such a thing for me, step into the story, and that what is all the hubbub about it at Christmas? Because this is just so phenomenally crazy, but it's a matter of what are you going to believe, and will you trust Him?

Robert Chisholm Wow. And when you're opening up your gifts this year, unwrapping those presents, let me just encourage you to consider this. The Bible says, for it is by grace you have been saved through faith. Robbie said, what are you going to believe? It is by grace you have been saved through faith that is not of yourselves.

It is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. If you haven't given your life to Christ, can we encourage you in listening to this Christmas special? Robbie Dilmore, the Christian car guy, it's such a joy having you on the show with me today. If you haven't given your life to Christ, consider what Robbie said, consider what the Bible says, and perhaps this year, 2022, you'll receive the greatest gift you've ever received, and that is the gift of salvation through Jesus, the celebration of Jesus. We've had fun on the show today.

We've laughed. We talked about food and songs and movies, but at the end of the day, it really comes down to, have you surrendered your life to Christ? And that's what we hope you take away from this show more than anything, and if not, you'd make that decision today, right, Robbie?

It is so simple. If you call on the name, Jesus, that's what I want. I want that. I want that relationship with you, and then you believe with all your heart, you know, you will be saved, and you could pray a prayer like this. Dear Jesus, you've promised that if I believe in you, everything I've ever done wrong will be forgiven.

I'll learn the purpose of my life. You will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day, so I confess my sin. I believe that you are my Savior.

I trust you when salvation comes by grace through faith, not by anything I do, and I receive you into my life as my Lord. Today, I'm turning over every part of my life to you. Amen. Thanks for tuning in to The Man Up Show. Hope you enjoyed this Christmas special. God bless you. Merry Christmas. This podcast is made possible by the grace of God and your faithful prayers, support, and generous gifts. May God bless you for your continual contributions. Go to Koloff.net and donate today.

Hi, Nikita Koloff. Be sure to check out The Man Up Show, now available on television, broadcast, and podcast. Go to MorningStarTV.com or the Truth Radio Network. Check out your local listings, or better yet, download the Truth Network app today.

on Silas Creek Parkway in Winston-Salem. Be sure to check them out today at wsmc1.com because you are number one. Hi, Nikita Koloff, and I am excited to announce that I will be hosting my first ever Holy Land Tour. That's right, a trip to the Holy Land with the Russian nightmare, and I am extending a personal invitation to you to join me December 27th, 2023 for a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Go to biblical-journeys.com for more information. This is the Truth Network.