Today's Inspiration
Sensible Holiday Celebrations
The holiday hullabaloo has begun in earnest, the beginning of the commercialization of winter holidays.
As soon as school is underway, merchants begin displaying Halloween paraphernalia. They squeeze in 
the Thanksgiving turkey sale-a-thon before the Christmas crush with New Year’s at its heels. Americans buy into these hazy holiday celebrations of madness without meaning.
Before we succumb to the cultural pressures around us, it might be good to back off and set our own course. Celebration is appropriate for Christians; we just want to be sure our celebrations make sense.
This holiday season, I am trying to
sort out what really matters for my family.
I want:
to resist commercial pressure to have the newest, the “mostest and the bestest”
to keep traditions that have meaning other than we have always done it this way;
to celebrate God’s goodness with a truly thankful heart; and
to commemorate Christ’s coming with joy and peace
Our holiday prayer for you is that: “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7 NIV).