It was about 10 years ago around Christmas time when my dad called me and asked if I wanted to come to a concert that was happening near his house. That year, the group Shane and Shane recorded a Christmas album and their tour happened to bring them to Bayside Chapel in Barnegat. My dad knew I was a big fan of Shane and Shane and thought it would be a good way to get me to...

If you've been attending our church for any length of time you have probably heard our pastor mention that he doesn't "do the Santa thing" with his family around Christmas. I know I've heard him speak about this on several occasions and in the past I had thought that he was probably making too big of a deal about it. While I recognized that the Santa myth had nothing to do...

The time of Advent leading up to Christmas is a time of great anticipation for many people. For those who don't celebrate the birth of Christ, there is still the Christmas celebration and countless children who are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their cache of presents. Even those of us who DO hold Advent (the coming of Christ) and Christmas holy, can be guilty of overloo...