A Christmas Promise

Thanks to the Teaching Mom's Advent calendar, I recently discovered the painter, Thomas Kinkade. Shortly there after, I was browsing the shelves of our library and noticed the name Thomas Kinkade as an author on the spine of a book. Upon closer inspection I discovered that this was the very same Thomas Kinkade! I was amazed! I liked what I saw of him as an artist and I decided to see what I thought of him as an author, so I checked the book, A Christmas Promise, out.

When I discover a new author I like to do some research about the author before, or while, reading the book. I googled Thomas Kinkade and I was shocked to discover that there was a big controversy surrounding Thomas Kinkade. I didn't save the sites and I can't find them now. I didn't know whether to believe them or not but they definitely colored my thoughts on reading the book. I wasn't sure if I wanted to or not, but decided to anyway.

A Christmas Promise is one book in a series of books co-authored with Katherine Spencer. It is a nice light holiday read. I particularly liked a portion in the last chapter of the book. The minister, Ben is speaking, in the Christmas service, about the spirit of Christmas. I'm going to quote a good portion of that section.

"But what is the spirit of Christmas, really? Anticipation...and disappointment? Expensive, jaw-dropping gifts that overwhelm us? Disillusionment when we don't find that pony and plain blindness to the pile of gifts we do receive? Fretting over our endless to-do lists and gifts, wondering if we've gotten the right size and color, if we've spent too little or too much? Feeling tired and empty before the party has even begun? That's the prevailing spirit for some of us, I know."..."we each received a gift that never disappoins, a gift that always fits, a gift that embodies the true spirit of Christmas - the very essence of the first Christmas. 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in HIm should not perish, but have everlasting life.'...And through His love, we are connected to the world and given power to love and forgive other. That, to me, is the true spirit of this season, the spirit we need to draw upon and put into action the whole year through. Think of the shepherds, guarding their flocks in the fields that dark night Jesus was born. And the sixe men, how they heard of the birth and followed the star, believing the Scriptures had finally been realized. THat is the spirit of Christmas, too. Great expectations that God's pormise would be fulfilled. In the middle of the dark night, they went forward on faith, following a star, trusting and believing they would be led to the right place. THat is the true spirit of Christmas, too, I think. To look up at thte stars and see God's love and to keep moving forward on fiath. That's what it means to me to keep the spirit of Christmas in our hearts every day."