Advent Conspiracy: Can Christmas Still Change the World?

Advent Conspiracy is a very accessible look at how to recapture the amazing story of Christmas. I have followed the Advent Conspiracy movement/website for a while, and I was thrilled when Chris Seay & co. released this book. The message of Advent Conspiracy resonates so much with my family and me. My wife and I have two young children and we have often thought about what message we are sending to our children each Christmas as we follow along with the rest of our culture and spend extravagantly on ourselves each year. This year, we have decided to make some drastic changes not just in how much we spend, but also in what we choose to give to our children and families. For example, we are giving our parents some homemade gifts this year, and money that we will encourage them to give to a charitable organization. We decided the best gift we could give them is the opportunity to make a difference in the life of someone else. All of this has grown out of our relationship with Jesus being challenged and strengthened through the Advent Conspiracy message. We still have a long way to go, but my wife and I are putting ourselves on the path to recovering the message of Christmas. This book is a great read and the concepts are brilliant. It is a great accompaniment to the holiday season, but the truth is that this is a message we need throughout the year.

In today's sour economy, folks are anxious about consumerism and willing to delve into alternative gift-giving and the spiritual meaning of Christmas. I am a pastor, and we are using it in our church as our theme for the weeks leading up to Christmas, and our congregation is truly enjoying it. Our adult and youth Sunday School classes are reading the book and watching the DVD segments and having wonderful discussions. I am using the theme for sermons this month, with two of my messages titled "Let's Conspire!" and "Give More PRESENCE!" inspired by the book. As a pastor, I am always on the lookout for resources to make the season meaningful without being "guilt-trippy." This joy-filled, lightly-humored book is short, sweet, to the point, and practical.

I was excited to read this book because it promised to explore whether Christmas can still change the world. For me, Christmases have begun to blur together year as I've grown older, and I've felt like I must be missing something. Advent Conspiracy is a short but thought provoking read which inspired me with stories of people who have found ways to make Christmas about meaningful giving. Instead of spending time with wish lists, we can make a tangible difference in the quality of life that people around the world. I hope to share this book's principles with my family members this Christmas so we can celebrate with more joy and more compassion for others. The book has also challenged me to think carefully about how we teach our young son about Christmas so that he will grow up with a heart for others and not a desire for accumulating more things.

Advent Conspiracy isn't just a book--it's a movement. A movement of people saying 'no' to the religion of Consumerism and 'yes' to reinventing Christmas. Not just for ourselves (though that is all part of it), but for a world in need: "It makes our mouths drop and our stomachs turn when we realize that the amount of money we spend on Christmas in America is close to forty-five times the amount of money it would take to supply the entire world with clean water." What the book lays out is how to bring the Christmas celebration back to a place of meaning while changing the world at the same time. It's a simple, yet powerful concept.

First of all, thank you to Advent Conspiracy for providing the book for review. This is my first contact with Advent Conspiracy and I'm delighted to help spread the word. I would highly recommend reading the book for anyone who is willing to step out from the "normal" Christmas routine. Advent Conspiracy enlightens, motivates and most of all challenges readers. It describes how our culture of consumerism has overwhelmed us. We are encouraged to Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More and Love All. It provides strategies for combating consumerism and giving generously to make a difference both in our individual lives and the lives of the poor and marginalized of the world, from the local community to the distant countries of the entire world. The question is posed in the subtitle, "Can Christmas Still Change the World?". I'm sure the answer can be a resounding YES. If I can move from my traditional comfort zone and join the "conspiracy" my personal world will be changed. Sharing the message and enlisting more conspirators will definitely bring more joy and hope around the world.