A brief Christmas message in a season of pain

Balanced takes on politics and world news — without the anger or hype.Every episode ends with a few minutes of Biblical encouragement for perspective and peace. Learn more. Listen & SubscribeListen in the player above, or find The Stan R. Mitchell Show on your preferred platform.👉 Official podcast page Support the missionSubscribing on Substack is the best way to support the show and keep it independent.ContactQuestions or comments: [e-mail] your first name and city if you’d like your message possibly included in a future episode.Short voice memos are welcome (and preferred).BooksI write stories about duty, leadership, and moral responsibility — often under extreme pressure. I’ve written twelve fast-paced thrillers, with more than 70,000 copies sold. They’re available on Amazon.Source notesSelected source notes for podcast and transcript above.Tonight won’t be a full episode.This week has been heavy, and I want to honor that honestly.But let’s start with an awesome compliment that really caught my attention and made my day, then kind of scared me. I had a pastor — with degrees in Theology, Philosophy, and a Master of Divinity — say this about my podcast.Like… what?! Honored and absolutely terrified. 😬😬Now to the heavy stuff…Something to inspire you. A final, brief Christmas messageBut I didn’t want Christmas to pass without saying this.Christmas is not about noise, or politics, or headlines.It’s about God stepping into human history.The Bible says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”Not from a palace.Not with power on display.But as a child.Born into poverty.Born into danger.Born into a broken world.Jesus didn’t come to make life comfortable.He came to make redemption possible.He came for the grieving.For the exhausted.For the fearful.For those standing at hospital bedsides.For those who feel like they’re barely holding it together.Christmas is God saying: I see you. I am with you. And death does not get the final word.If this season feels joyful for you, give thanks.If it feels heavy, you’re not alone.The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.From my family to yours—Merry Christmas.Jesus Christ was born.And hope is alive.And with that, thanks for joining us this week.Want to help support the mission? My preferred way is for you to subscribe through Substack.You can also now sign up at Patreon, or send tips through Venmo and PayPal.Finally, I’m still trying to grow the show. Please rate and leave comments on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and Google.All posts are free, so feel free to share.The Stan R. Mitchell Show is a listener-supported show. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.That’s it for this edition. To God be the Glory,Stan R. MitchellP.S. Don’t forget that I've also written twelve fast, exciting books. Buying books (or recommending them to a friend) is a great way to support the show. You can find all of my books on Amazon, by searching my name Stan R. Mitchell, or by following this link: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Stan-R.-Mitchell/author/B0077BNGPG.I’ve written 12 of them to date, and they include a CIA/Marine sniper series, a detective series, a private investigator series, an action-packed Western, a motivational self-help book about President Obama, and two realistic war novels: one about World War II and one about Afghanistan.#mil #podcast #military #ukraine #china #russia #RussiaUkraineWar #Iran #Israel #Christian #Christianity #Bible #usmc #army #navy #airforce #politics #defensenews #OSINT #NationalSecurity #DefenseNews #MilitaryMatters #Geopolitics #SecurityInsights #ForeignPolicy #VeteransVoice #StanRMitchellShow This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit stanrmitchell.substack.com/subscribe