Are you hoping and praying for A Better December?
Author Steven Estes applies the wisdom of Proverbs
to help readers
rediscover the joys of Christmas
The shopping, the family get-togethers, the office
Christmas party, the decorating, the memories of loved ones who are no longer
with us . . . What should be the happiest time of the year often becomes a
stressful, anxiety-ridden, and emotional season for many who are seeking
perfection and trying to meet unrealistic expectations. But December doesn’t
have to get the better of us.
In A Better December: Proverbs to Brighten
Christmas (New
Growth Press,
October 2013, ISBN 978-1-936768-67-7, $12.99), pastor Steven Estes offers gems of Solomon’s proverbial wisdom to help
readers find the joy and celebration we all desire for the Christmas season. Even
though Solomon lived long before Christ, and three thousand years prior to our
modern observance of Christmas, his wisdom is timeless and remarkably
applicable to those who long to find themselves refreshed and renewed instead
of depleted and cranky in December. Estes deftly combines the wisdom of
Proverbs with humor and touching stories, drawing heavily on traditional
holiday themes.
Estes
has found a wealth of practical advice from King Solomon (circa 900 BC) to help
with the typical holidays issues such as materialism, stress, and loneliness. Estes explains his approach, “The connection between Solomon and Christmas is
tongue-in-cheek. People know about his vaunted wisdom, but do they know about
his savvy market research where he predicted a major future trend: the
Christmas holidays? Solomon wrote his blockbuster Proverbs to help future
readers navigate December,”
Some of Estes’ favorite Christmas advice from
Solomon includes:
- Solomon has an eye for “an ornament of fine gold” on a tree (25:12), and for the “fool full of food” at the holiday office party (30:22). But don’t assume that everyone smiling in the room is happy, he cautions, for “even in laughter the heart may ache” (14:13).
- He counsels us that dazzling gifts won’t dazzle for long: “Death and destruction and never satisfied, and neither are the eyes of man” (27:20).
- Get yourself some joy when passing those sidewalk bell-ringers with their red kettles, because “He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done” (19:17).
- Write a letter to a soldier overseas this time of year, he prods, for “Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land” (25:25).
But A Better December offers more
than mere clever tips for surviving the Christmas holidays. It is also intended to be a gift book for
non-Christian friends and neighbors. Through its gradual, non-threatening
introduction to the gospel, readers begin to grasp that Solomon is good, but
Jesus is better.
With a foreword by Joni Eareckson Tada and whimsical pen-and-ink
sketches by Sarah Halulko, this compact book is written for those struggling at
Christmas—burdened with sadness (widows, singles, the elderly, those far from
home), or harried with stress (shopping demands, financial strain, awkward
visits with relatives). It lays out
wisdom that has stood the test of time. The book makes for a charming,
spiritual read, without sermonizing, to those hungry at the holidays for true
comfort and a real home.
Advance
Praise
“Between the pages of this
special little book, you’ll find a genuine guide to the purposeful and peaceful
holiday we all long for. Who’d ever have thought Proverbs would make a good
Christmas read?! But it does.”
~ Joni Eareckson Tada, best-selling author, radio host,
and founder of Joni and Friends
"Estes threaded the
loose beads of Proverbs on a string, and strung me along till the last word of
the last page. I cried like a baby starting at the chapter called `Longings.’ I
love this book, and consider it one of God's little kisses to me that I ever
came across it."
~ Andrée Seu, Senior Writer, World Magazine
About the
Author

He teaches a preaching class at
Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia) where he completed his M.Div
and Th.M. degrees. Estes is a conference speaker and on the board of the
Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF).
Estes is
the author of Called to Die (the story of slain missionary Chet
Bitterman), and co-author (with friend Joni Eareckson Tada) of When God
Weeps and A Step Further. He and his wife, Verna, have eight
children.
Learn more about Estes and his
books at www.steveestes.net.
New Growth Press Christian book store provides Gospel-centered Christian books, small group and kids Bible resources for discipleship, biblical counseling and missional ministry. For more information about A Better December and other releases
from New Growth Press, visit www.newgrowthpress.com.
Steven Estes is available for interviews to promote
the release of A Better December. To request a review copy,
schedule an interview or for more information, please contact Audra Jennings, audra@litfusegroup.com.
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