Christmas is Not Your Birthday - Introduction

I don't know about you, but I spend most of November in a constant state of contradiction. I know that the season of Christmas begins on December 25th, but the world around me has been hanging decorations and playing carols since before Halloween. And I love Christmas and all the trimmings - sounds, sights, foods, decorations - so why not get a big bang for my buck?

My holiday weaknesses are seasonal t-shirts and sweaters, holiday M&M's, cute decorations, and seasonal cooking supplies, like candied fruit and anything with peppermint. Yes, I realize these don't have anything to do with Jesus and his birth, but somehow, they make me happy, and for a minute, I am fooled into believing that's all that really matters.

It's easy to get carried away by the way that the world around celebrates the holidays. We spend too much, we eat too much, we expect too much, and in one way or another, we are disappointed. What would it be like to celebrate a different kind of Christmas... one where we reconnected with the reason for the season, and in the process, made life better for others as well as ourselves?

For the next six weeks we will be be reading "Christmas is Not Your Birthday" by Mike Slaughter. Our reading and discussion is designed to bring us back to center - to look at the person whose life we celebrate, and how he is calling us to live in the light of his life and ministry.

Yes, I know we are starting before Advent, and yes, I think it's a good idea. I don't know about your December, but mine is pretty crazy. It's my hope that this time of preparation can help all of us gain some perspective before we are swept away in a whirlwind of holiday activities.

If you're coming along on the journey, the book is available at Cokesbury.com and Amazon.com, and may be available in your local bookstore. It's also available on Kindle, so get a copy and read along. And feel free to post a comment on the reading or questions.  We'll be reading chapter 1 this week - "You Are a Miracle Worker".

My class here at Fairchild AFB meets on Wednesday afternoons, so I'll make every effort to post within 24 hours to share some of our insights and questions, along with my takeaway from the reading.

Come along - it will be a good journey.

Peace, Deb