My friend Eldon Eric Johnson has written a children’s book for Christmas called The Battle for Christmas Castle; not only is its message invaluable in our western culture, but the sales of the book are going towards an incredible cause. Please read Eldon’s message below, and consider purchasing a copy of his book for your family. You’ll be saving a life.
IN ONE MONTH, more money will be spent on chocolate Santas than the budgets of Habitat for Humanity, The American Heart Association, and American Cancer Society–COMBINED!
Now my wife and I love Christmas, and our four kids love it too. But for ten years God has been warning me about Christmas’ impact on our kids. How do we balance the great parts of Christmas with what we all know is a dark side? First and foremost, we must recognize that there really is a battle. Christmas is when our Culture makes its biggest push for the hearts of our children!
The first time I ever took any of this seriously was when my kids were little…just old enough to start wanting stuff. I was listening to NPR on our local public radio station as I drove home from work. It was Christmas time and I was excited…not worried.
But that evening, NPR had a sociologist talking about rituals around the world, or as we might say, “traditions.” He asked a great question, “How does a little baby become a little American vs. a little Italian, German, Japanese, etc?”
By its traditions!
Then he nailed it, “The American ritual is Christmas and it is very effective at planting materialism into the hearts and minds of American children.”
I seriously felt a chill go down my spine, and I knew two things:
1. God was speaking to me (yes, on public radio!) And
2. Christmas is a big fa-la-la-ing deal in the life of kids and our nation.
$500 billion dollars spent in one month says it’s true! God said “Where your treasure is, there also is your HEART! America is a culture that loves things. ..and uses people. And my birth is its excuse to immerse your kids into this love of things!”
I was reading Mark 4 and the parable of the Sower. Here, Jesus says God is a bit like Johnny Appleseed, sowing seeds of His love and faith all over the world.
In the parable, one person is represented by ground where the seed grows just fine, but Jesus says that “thorns come in” and choke out the little green shoot of faith so that it produces no fruit.
I said to myself “Okay! So what are the thorns? What do they stand for? Oh it says right here…the thorns represent WORRY…the DECEITFULLNESS OF WEALTH. ..and the DESIRE for OTHER THINGS.”
Worry. The Deceitfulness of wealth. The desire for stuff. Sounds a lot like the darker side of Christmas, doesn’t it? And doesn’t it make sense that the enemy would gift wrap these thorns in the birth of our Savior?
The twisted threads of truly celebrating Christ’s birth and the onslaught of materialism means HARD WORK FOR PARENTS WHO WANT TO BE GOOD “GARDENERS” OF THEIR KIDS’ HEARTS.
It IS a BATTLE! All year long, but again, Christmas is the moment our Culture makes its biggest push for our kids’ hearts.
That’s why I turned this real world struggle into a book. A book that will give you and your kids a way to talk about the difference between Christ’s life and the life our Culture offers.
The Battle For Christmas Castle is an exciting adventure, but it also gives a common language to kids and parents to dialogue about the mix of good and bad that is Christmas. ..that is life.
All proceeds from this children’s book will go towards helping a family bring home their daughter from India–a girl who was thrown in a dumpster as a baby, and had her nose eaten by insects (see photo below).
The family has until TODAY to raise $7000 and then they can pick her up this summer. If they miss the deadline, it will be over a year until they can pick her up from India. Will you consider purchasing a copy, or two, of this incredible children’s story?
If so, please purchase HERE.
((Thank you))
Eldon Johnson graduated from Harvard University with honors and then Served as a Harvard Chaplain for 6 years. He led service projects from South Central L.A. To South Central Asia. He founded the Charity GivingLife and is an attorney in Sarasota, Florida, where is favorite job is being a husband and father of four kids. His first book was published by TommyNelson/Harper Collins in 2010.