“You’ll probably laugh at this, but one of my biggest problems after Christmas is getting our children to write thank you notes. Our oldest says he doesn’t see any reason for it because the Bible doesn’t say anything about thank you notes. I’ve told him to do it anyway, but can you settle this for us?”
“I lost my husband to cancer two years ago, and holidays are especially hard for me now. I can’t help but remember all the good times we had at Christmas and at other times, and now I’m all alone. How can I cope with this?”
“Who were the so-called “wise men” who came to worship Jesus when He was born? The Bible doesn’t seem to say much about them. ”
“Every year, Christmas just makes me feel guilty, because in spite of my best intentions I always end up spending too much money on gifts for people, often for things they don’t even need. It’s too late to do anything about it now, but why do I do this? ”
“Yesterday, my 9-year-old son asked me why we celebrate Christmas, and I didn’t know what to tell him, except that it marked Jesus’ birthday. What more could I have said?”
“Every year, we say we’re going to try to keep our children’s attention focused on the real meaning of Christmas, but then all our good intentions go out the window once the holiday approaches. Is it hopeless to keep trying?”
“Why is the birth of Jesus worth observing any more than the birth of any other religious leader? After all, He wasn’t the only person to be the founder of a great religion. Why is His birth so important?”
“I’ve really tried to live a good life and do what I think God must want me to do. But I wonder sometimes if I’ve done enough, because I know I’ve probably done wrong things without even realizing it. What exactly does God expect of me? ”
“I don’t mean to be irreverent, but heaven sounds kind of boring to me, and I’m not sure I even want to go there when I die. And anyway, I suspect most of my friends will be in the other place and having a good time, just like they do now. ”
“I really thought my cousin had decided to change his life and start following Jesus, and he did for a while. But now he’s back in his old ways of living, and doesn’t have any interest in God or church. What happened?”
“Our daughter graduates from high school this coming May. She’s been looking at colleges, but she can’t decide which one to go to, what she wants to major in, or even if she should be doing something else instead. How can we help her?”
“I’m already depressed about Christmas. Last year, we resolved not to spend as much money or get so busy, but I can already tell that it’s not going to happen. How we can make Christmas what it ought to be, instead of this rat race?”