I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. My day was filled with fun, fellowship, and too much food. I spent a great deal of time reading and simply doing Bible study. Oh, did I mention sleeping in? way in!

Of course, Thanksgiving is about being thankful. It is a time to remember what we have to be grateful for. I'm always somewhat shocked and amazed to see pictures of the "day after." You know, the people lined up around a retailer at like 4:00 AM to by socks. Apparently, there are some REALLY good sock-deals out there.

I guess what I'm getting at is that this season, for so many people, seems to revolve around spending more and more money on frivalous items that people end up not using anyway. Hey, I've been guilty of this, too. This year, however, I'm not in a financial position to spend, spend, spend. Although this will be a challenge come Christmas morning, I suspect God will provide a different kind of miracle.

This common holiday madness causes far too many individuals to become depressed, leads them to feel deprived, and others become angry and frustrated by the intensity of the "hustle and bustle." It's almost like we end up on this giant sinking ship of materialism unable to find a way off before going under.

For me, going under has involved more credit dept that I cannot afford, a sense of dread at meetng the "wants" of my loved ones; and providing a greater level of fanfare every year has left me struggling for air as I fight to stay afloat in a sea of ever increasing expectations that I place on myself.

I got to thinking about this whole "ship thing" after seeing the amazing photographs and reading about a Canadian ship that sank somewhere in the Antartic. http://news.aol.com/story/_a/doomed-ship-defies-antarctica-odds/20071123061209990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

The incredible part of this story is that the crew was able, in an orderly fashion, to get every single person off this sinking ship alive and well. Then another cruise ship helped every person out of their life boats and onto their ship while the passengers of Ship 2 (rescue cruiseship) enjoyed their breakfast while observing the rescue. Nice and neat, people simply left the wreckage and made their way to freedom. Hum ...

Okay, what's the point, Carol? you might be asking. But, likely, you've already caught on. The Holiday Season and all the shopping and spending may seem like a sinking ship come January 1st. But it doesn't have to be. Thankfully, we don't have to leap off this ship and hope we'll survive. Rather, like the passengers in the Antartic, we can remove ourselves from the rat race in an orderly and dignified fashion. The ship of materialism is a sinking vessel leading only to having too much of nothing. We don't have to go down with it.

Imagine the grattitude the passengers must have considering they survived, unscathed, what could have been a new Titanic situation. So is with us. If we belong to Jesus Christ, we can celebrate the fact, yes, the fact that we are free from sin and death. Christmas is not about more socks, CD's, or Ipods, it is about God's grace. It's about a Heavenly Father that saw His children (us) clinging to the sinking ship of sin. In His graciousness, He sent His only son to rescue us one life and one heart at a time.

If you feel anxious about the upcoming weeks, worried about money, dreading those not-so-nice visiting family members, relax. Follow your Leader -- Jesus -- and get off the ship. Allow Him to take you to the safety of solid ground. He is the Rock on which we stand, right?

For those of you that don't know the real Rescuer -- Jesus Christ -- why not take some time to investige His claims. If you're willing stand for hours in line for the Christmas blue light specials, don't you think it might be worth your time to learn about the real reason for the Season? I promise you, this is a Gift that won't get hidden away, or run up your credit cards, the Gift of salvation is never-changing, always there, and eternal. The cost for you: FREE. God's already taken care of the bill.

God bless you!