james cooper

Day 6-The Story of St. Nicholas and Santa Claus

On Day 6 of the Lifespring! WhyChristmas Advent Calendar, Steve Webb and James Cooper unwrap the story behind one of the most familiar figures of the season: Santa Claus. From a kind fourth-century bishop in Turkey to children leaving clogs out in the Netherlands, to reindeer and Rudolph, this episode follows the surprising journey of…

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Day 5-The Story Behind Christmas Carols

On Day 5 of the Lifespring! WhyChristmas Advent Calendar, Steve Webb and James Cooper turn their attention to something almost everyone associates with Christmas: carols. From a playful burst of O Come All Ye Faithful on the zither harp to stories from church history and village life, this episode traces how Christmas carols grew from…

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Day 4 – The First Christmas Card

On Day 4 of the Lifespring! WhyChristmas Advent Calendar, Steve Webb opens the door to a fun and fascinating piece of Christmas history: the origin of the Christmas card. What begins with a surprise audio card from James Cooper soon unfolds into the story of Sir Henry Cole, the penny post, and the first officially…

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Day 3-Advent Sunday: Hearing the Prophets’ Voices

On Day 3 of the Lifespring! WhyChristmas Advent Calendar, we arrive at the official start of Advent—Advent Sunday. This episode, originally recorded in 2006, highlights one of the most meaningful themes of Advent: listening to the voices of the prophets. Steve Webb welcomes you, then hands the microphone to James Cooper of WhyChristmas.com to guide…

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Luke 24:27: The Story Was Pointing to Him All Along

Episode Context: This Advent episode explores Luke 24:27, where Jesus reveals the scarlet thread of redemption running from Moses through the prophets. The entire Old Testament points toward Christ. This episode explains how Scripture forms a unified story that leads to the manger and ultimately to the cross and resurrection. Beginning With Moses: How Jesus…

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Day 2 – Why We Have Christmas Trees

Day 2 of the Lifespring! WhyChristmas Advent Calendar continues our journey toward Christmas by looking at one of the most recognizable symbols of the season: the Christmas tree. These Advent Calendar episodes were originally recorded in 2006, but the story, meaning, and joy behind these traditions remain timeless. Each day, Steve Webb and James Cooper…

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Day 1: The Meaning of Advent: Beginning the Journey to Christmas

The Lifespring! WhyChristmas Advent Calendar is back. These special episodes were first recorded in 2006 and are now presented again in 2025 so that you can walk day by day toward Christmas with the Lifespring family, James Cooper from WhyChristmas.com, and your OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. The story of Advent and Christmas is timeless, even…

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Lifespring! Why Christmas Day 13 – 2022

Transcript Podcast Introduction This is Day 13 of the 2022 encore of the 2009 season of the Lifespring! Why Christmas show, hosted by James Cooper, creator of whychristmas.com and me, the OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. Have you entered the drawing for an autographed copy of Bryan Duncan’s A NehoSoul Christmas CD yet? If not, be…

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Lifespring! Why Christmas Day 11 – 2022

Transcript Podcast Introduction This is Day 11 of the 2022 encore of the 2009 season of the Lifespring! Why Christmas show, hosted by James Cooper, creator of whychristmas.com and me, the OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. We’re having a drawing on the Christmas day edition of the show for an autographed copy of Bryan Duncan’s A…

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Lifespring! Why Christmas Day 10 – 2022

Transcript Podcast Introduction This is Day 10 of the 2022 encore of the 2009 season of the Lifespring! Why Christmas show, hosted by James Cooper, creator of whychristmas.com and me, the OG Godcaster, Steve Webb. If you’d like to win the autographed copy of Bryan Duncan’s A NehoSoul Christmas CD, be sure to go to…

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