“In one very factual way, encouraging one another to keep Christ central in Christmas is rather naive. CHRIST is central in CHRISTmas! Christmas is totally dependent upon Christ. The very word, Christmas, has no meaning without Christ.” – Howard Eyrich, DMin, Commissioned Addictions Biblical Counselor
It is ironic that the Christmas season is a time when we celebrate God’s gift of love—Jesus Messiah—coming to earth and yet, we become so busy that we forget to spend time thanking, praising, and meditating upon Him.
All of this is precisely why we celebrate Advent which comes from the Latin word adventus meaning “coming.” The Advent season (begins four Sundays before Christmas) is a special time to reflect upon and celebrate the precious gift God gave us, His only begotten Son, Jesus, who came to earth to live as fully God and fully man. Jesus’ mission was to live a perfect life so that He could pay the price to purchase and save you from the penalty of your sins. Addiction is the result of sinful heart desires fulfilled in choices that render a person helpless and enslaved to something dangerous. God wants so much more for you than enslavement and harm.
Dr. Mark E. Shaw, and Shirley Crowder pray the Lord will be pleased to use Advent: Meditations for Addicts, a meditative journey through Advent, to help you keep your heart and mind focus on Christ in the weeks leading up to Christmas.
The purpose of Advent: Meditations for Addicts is to encourage you to be intentional in reflecting upon the incredible love of God expressed in the Advent of Jesus Messiah.
The guide begins 5 Sundays (weeks) before Christmas and walks you through the week after Christmas. The chapters use the five candles of Advent as to walk you through your celebration. They are entitled: Celebrate Advent, Hope in God, The Peace of God, The Joy of the Lord, God’s Boundless Love, Christ Has Come! and His Glorious Return.
While this Advent guide was written specifically to help addicts and those whom God has transformed from an addiction-dominated life, every Christ-follower can ensure his or her relationship with God stays strong during Advent by using this guide to keep Christ as the focus of Christmas.
Advent: Meditations for Addicts is available at Advent: Meditations for Addicts: Crowder, Shirley, Shaw, Mark E.: 9798687064330: AmazonSmile: Books
Learn more by listening to our podcast series on Advent: Meditations for Addicts. Go to: The Addiction Connection Podcast • A podcast on Anchor
#87 – Behind The Book “Advent” Part 1 (Crowder and Dr. Shaw) • Nov 25, 2020
#89 – Behind The Book “Advent” Part 2 (Crowder and Dr. Shaw) • Nov 30, 2020
#94 – Behind The Book “Advent” Part 4 (Crowder and Dr. Shaw) • Dec 14, 2020
#96 – Behind The Book “Advent” Part 5 (Crowder and Dr. Shaw) • Dec 21, 2020
#97 – Behind The Book “Advent” Part 6 (Crowder and Dr. Shaw) • Dec 24, 2020
#98 – Behind The Book “Advent” Part 7 (Crowder and Dr. Shaw) • Dec 28, 2020
Advent Guide for Addicts and Everyone Else! – Through the Lens of Scripture
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