Ruining Christmas Rediscovering Jesus

Did you know that the Christmas story almost wasn't told? But Matthew and Luke saved Christmas. Have you wondered if Christmas is really a pagan holiday? Did marketers invent Santa Claus? And what does a Christmas tree have to do with anti-slavery? We'll learn which traditions come from the Bible and where other traditions derive. Have you ever considered who Jesus was named after? Or why Jesus's genealogy is traced to Joseph if he's not Jesus's biological father? We'll answer questions like these surrounding Jesus's legacy. Maybe you've asked what was the Bethlehem star? Or have you heard that there wasn't an inn or innkeeper? With these kinds of inquiries, we'll look at the circumstances surrounding Jesus's birth. Do we know if the magi were kings, astrologers, or magicians? Or could you name the oldest person that met baby Jesus? By interacting with these people who met Jesus on that first Christmas, we'll join the cast of characters around the manger. As we explore the stories and traditions of Christmas together, we'll ruin some past misconceptions, but in the process, I promise that we'll rediscover Jesus.

Embracing Advent includes four weeks of short daily readings to encourage you to: Hold on to HOPE, Find PEACE, Choose JOY, and LOVE and Be Loved. This is an Advent devotional meant to prepare you for the Christmas season. These readings can be used as individuals or in a bible study. Use this daily devotional to take a few minutes each day to step away from the holiday chaos and prepare your body, soul, and mind to whole-heartedly celebrate Christmas this year!

Go into the mind of a man who has been forced to do a specific job that will destroy the world's economies, businesses, and a resting security many people have. The job is ruining Christmas for all Christians! Koko Ishe has been summoned by the top officials of the Universe, stuffed into an abandoned warehouse, and forced to read about Christmas from historical sources and also from the bestselling book of all times. He is then ordered to share what he has read with everyone that celebrates Christmas. Initially he tries to get away only to be cornered and trapped, ultimately beaten and brought into the warehouse under strict security. There he was forced to study and write and produce a manuscript approved by the Universal Council in 30 days flat. If he failed he would meet his demise! In this manuscript Ishe shows all the downfalls of why Christians should not celebrate Christmas. If you do not want your Christmas ruined this year or in the years following do not pick up this book!

God Is with Us is a refreshing book for anyone for whom the trappings of the Christmas season have become barriers to the celebration of the birth of Christ. One must understand Christmas, it says, in order to understand ourselves as Christians.

Don't miss the miracle of God's greatest gift. The true meaning of Christmas.

That sentimental picture of Christmas we all have in our minds: the shepherds, the wise men, the stable, the inn, the star.It's all wrong.Most of what we think about the Christmas story isn't actually true. And so the goal of this book is simple: to make sure you can never look at a nativity scene again without being triggered.But in the process, you'll discover that the true story of Christmas is so much darker- and so much more wonderful- than you ever dreamed.

Inspirational stories, songs and traditions to help you rediscover the real meaning of Christmas.

Best-selling authors Marva Dawn and Eugene Peterson offer encouragement to pastors. Pastors are strategically placed to counter the culture. No other profession looks so inoffensive but is in fact so dangerous to the status quo. Their weapon? A gospel that is profoundly countercultural. But standing firm in today's world isn't easy. Powerful forces, both subtle and obvious, attempt to domesticate pastors, to make them, in a word, unnecessary. In this book, two of today's most respected authors help pastors recover their gospel identity and maintain a pure vision of Christian leadership. Marva Dawn and Eugene Peterson reconnect pastors with the biblical texts that will train them as countercultural servants of the gospel. Marva Dawn looks to Paul's letter to the Ephesians for instruction for churches seeking to live faithfully in today's world. In turn, Eugene Peterson explores Romans, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Titus, drawing from them the correct view of pastoral identity.