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Meaning-full Holidays Benefit from Advance Planning
My shopping list includes “Halloween candy,” and my neighbors’ yards feature cobwebs, ghosts, and the Grim Reaper. Yet I just received a gift catalog from an aid organization, an invitation to a holiday brunch, and ads for Advent products in my social media feeds. It feels too early to think about whether to include marshmallows on the sweet-potato casserole. But we also know planning ahead will help make the holidays more meaning-full, right? Here on the Engage blog, I have annual tradition of offering suggestions for doing so. Here’s my 2023 Top Ten list: Prefer a book? I love Fleming Rutledge’s Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ. I get…
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Plan Now for the Holidays: 7 Suggestions
Carved pumpkins still line my walk. We still have some leftover candy. And I have yet to decide between apple or pumpkin pie for the family Thanksgiving gathering. So maybe it feels early. But the first Sunday in Advent falls on November 28 this year. And I want to create a sane, wise holiday season—and to replace debt with dignity. That requires planning ahead. If you want to do the same, here are my seven suggestions: Select your devotional reading. If you use You Version, check out these two reading plans: “Advent Chai with Malachi,” which my seminary students and I wrote; and “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” a collection of pieces…
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12 Ways to Prep Now for a Peaceful Christmas
No-o-o! Did I just say "Christmas"? it's too early! Don't you hate it when stores put up their holiday displays before Halloween? Me, too. Ugh. But here’s the thing… If we actually get started when the stores do, we can have a calmer Christmas. And who doesn’t need one of those? The first Sunday in advent falls on November 29 this year. Don’t let it sneak up on you, or you might get caught in the usual vortex of mega-debt and uber-busy insanity. This year you can get it right. Here are my twelve suggestions for what we can do now to insure a calmer Christmas later: 1. Decide to…
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Plan Now for Calmer Holidays
I know it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, and I promise I’m not one of those people who starts decorating for Christmas the day after Halloween. But the first Sunday in advent falls on November 30 this year, so I don’t want us to get broadsided by the insane pace, the mega-debt, and the uber-insanity. So that means planning ahead a bit. Here are my five suggestions: Decide to make Christ your focus. Pray for wisdom and ask God to help you honor him during this holy season. Set aside ten minutes this week to decide what reading plan you want to use for spiritual reflection. Do you need to order…
