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Christmas Is Not Your Birthday: Experience the Joy of Living and Giving like Jesus
Every year, we say we’re going to cut back, simplify, and have a family Christmas that focuses on the real reason for the season―Jesus. But every year, advertisements beckon, the children plead, and it seems easier just to indulge our wants and whims. Overspending, overeating, materialism, and busyness rob us of our peace and joy and rob Jesus of his rightful role as the center of our celebration.
This Christmas, cut through the hype that leaves you exhausted and broke at the end of the year. Instead, experience the peace of knowing that God is truly with us, the joy of giving sacrificially, and the love of a Savior who gave everything he had for us. In five short, engaging chapters, Pastor Mike Slaughter inspires readers to approach Christmas differently, and be transformed in the process.
This Christmas, cut through the hype that leaves you exhausted and broke at the end of the year. Instead, experience the peace of knowing that God is truly with us, the joy of giving sacrificially, and the love of a Savior who gave everything he had for us. In five short, engaging chapters, Pastor Mike Slaughter inspires readers to approach Christmas differently, and be transformed in the process.
112 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2011
45 people are currently reading
220 people want to read
About the author
Mike Slaughter
75 books19 followersMike Slaughter is the lead pastor at Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, Ohio. Under his leadership, Ginghamsburg became known as an early innovator of small group ministry and a leader in global mission efforts. A frequently sought-after speaker, he is the author of many books, including Dare to Dream, Hijacked, Change the World, Christmas Is Not Your Birthday, and Upside Living in a Downside Economy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
October 1, 2011
I originally bought this book for my mom. She’s been talking about non-consumeristic Christmases for a few years now. The book looked like a good guide on how to buck the typical trends of overspending and overexerting ourselves around the holidays. Slaughter did a good job showing that life (and Christmas) is not about my comfort or temporary happiness, but about serving and worshipping God.
“Life is not about staying safe and living comfortably. The call to follow Jesus is a call to give your life to him, to join God’s mission in healing the souls of the world. We were never promised a reward in this life. The real rewards are found in the joy and peace that we experience through serving others in Christ’s spirit.” Loc. 515
There were two major weaknesses of the book. First, I was expecting far more practical examples of how to live and give like Jesus at Christmastime. That was the topic of Chapter 5, and it was excellent. I would give that chapter 4-stars alone. But Chapters 1-4 were mainly about how God uses miracles, how God loves us even though we aren’t perfect or particularly loveable, and how believers serve Jesus by serving his body. None of these ideas are bad, or out of place, I was just wanting more practical ideas, and less foundational. Second, there are some questionable theological statements that are never unpacked. At one point he calls his wife a fellow pastor of their church. I’m sure I would differ with Slaughter on a number of things, so I shouldn’t expect to agree with everything.
So, Chapter 5. I thought the chapter was very helpful. He gives us three ways to celebrate Jesus at Christmas and fight materialism.
1) Proactive parenting – “Let’s show our children how to serve God’s purpose by helping others rather than being self-focused consumers of Santa Claus marketing. After all, life is all about relationships.” Loc. 1101
2) Practical serving – “Christmas is about developing lasting relationships with persons in poverty and not just about giving presents” (Loc. 1123). He talks about how his church stopped doing Angel Tree and started a “Christmas Shoppe” instead. People could come to the church, choose free gifts for their children, and the church provided food, music, and fellowship. This helped them develop relationships, and avoided shaming poor parents who couldn’t provide gifts for their children.
3) Verbal witnessing – I was glad he added this part. In all of our good deeds, we need to be proclaiming the Gospel. Slaughter calls it pointing to the source of the good work. “We need to go beyond just doing good deeds. We need to name the name and tell others the good news about Jesus.” Loc. 1140
Insofar as Slaughter calls us to forsake consumerism and serve Christ, I thought the book was really helpful. The foundational chapters were not as helpful as they could have been. I would recommend this book with those reservations.
One final quote:
“What we spend our money on reveals our ultimate values; it is a demonstration of what we truly worship. How we handle money is the window into our true character. Storing up treasures on earth without being rich toward God means that life is all about me, my family, and my family’s needs and wants.
“We then become disciples of the culture of consumption (self-focused) rather than disciples of the Lord Jesus (servant-focused). Overspending, debt, and attachment to material possessions hinders our ability to fully commit to following Jesus in sacrificial mission.” Loc. 976
“Life is not about staying safe and living comfortably. The call to follow Jesus is a call to give your life to him, to join God’s mission in healing the souls of the world. We were never promised a reward in this life. The real rewards are found in the joy and peace that we experience through serving others in Christ’s spirit.” Loc. 515
There were two major weaknesses of the book. First, I was expecting far more practical examples of how to live and give like Jesus at Christmastime. That was the topic of Chapter 5, and it was excellent. I would give that chapter 4-stars alone. But Chapters 1-4 were mainly about how God uses miracles, how God loves us even though we aren’t perfect or particularly loveable, and how believers serve Jesus by serving his body. None of these ideas are bad, or out of place, I was just wanting more practical ideas, and less foundational. Second, there are some questionable theological statements that are never unpacked. At one point he calls his wife a fellow pastor of their church. I’m sure I would differ with Slaughter on a number of things, so I shouldn’t expect to agree with everything.
So, Chapter 5. I thought the chapter was very helpful. He gives us three ways to celebrate Jesus at Christmas and fight materialism.
1) Proactive parenting – “Let’s show our children how to serve God’s purpose by helping others rather than being self-focused consumers of Santa Claus marketing. After all, life is all about relationships.” Loc. 1101
2) Practical serving – “Christmas is about developing lasting relationships with persons in poverty and not just about giving presents” (Loc. 1123). He talks about how his church stopped doing Angel Tree and started a “Christmas Shoppe” instead. People could come to the church, choose free gifts for their children, and the church provided food, music, and fellowship. This helped them develop relationships, and avoided shaming poor parents who couldn’t provide gifts for their children.
3) Verbal witnessing – I was glad he added this part. In all of our good deeds, we need to be proclaiming the Gospel. Slaughter calls it pointing to the source of the good work. “We need to go beyond just doing good deeds. We need to name the name and tell others the good news about Jesus.” Loc. 1140
Insofar as Slaughter calls us to forsake consumerism and serve Christ, I thought the book was really helpful. The foundational chapters were not as helpful as they could have been. I would recommend this book with those reservations.
One final quote:
“What we spend our money on reveals our ultimate values; it is a demonstration of what we truly worship. How we handle money is the window into our true character. Storing up treasures on earth without being rich toward God means that life is all about me, my family, and my family’s needs and wants.
“We then become disciples of the culture of consumption (self-focused) rather than disciples of the Lord Jesus (servant-focused). Overspending, debt, and attachment to material possessions hinders our ability to fully commit to following Jesus in sacrificial mission.” Loc. 976
January 1, 2013
The overall idea of the book is good: Return to the true and fulfilling meaning of Christmas by giving rather than receiving. The author also challenges us to give to causes where we can truly make a difference, such as those working in impoverished areas, etc.
I didn't like that the author seemed to repeat things over and over again. At times it even seemed like he copied the same paragraphs from earlier chapters. I also didn't like that instead of focusing on the general idea of giving to worthy causes, the author used his church's involvement in Sudan as literally every example. I'm sure the author didn't include it to make his church just look wonderful, but that's how it came across to me.
Good message, but the book needed heavier editing. I wouldn't recommend it as there wasn't much original thought at all. Just the message against materialism.
I didn't like that the author seemed to repeat things over and over again. At times it even seemed like he copied the same paragraphs from earlier chapters. I also didn't like that instead of focusing on the general idea of giving to worthy causes, the author used his church's involvement in Sudan as literally every example. I'm sure the author didn't include it to make his church just look wonderful, but that's how it came across to me.
Good message, but the book needed heavier editing. I wouldn't recommend it as there wasn't much original thought at all. Just the message against materialism.
April 16, 2012
It wasn't what I expected. After I read it I read the back cover and saw a sentence that summed it up nicely: "...a rather punchy reflection on the real meaning & significance of Christmas..."
While I had hoped for more applicable ideas on how to create new, meaningful traditions that celebrated Christ in the season, it was still an easy nice read that I enjoyed. At least he kept the focus on Jesus!
While I had hoped for more applicable ideas on how to create new, meaningful traditions that celebrated Christ in the season, it was still an easy nice read that I enjoyed. At least he kept the focus on Jesus!
January 13, 2012
I think the last few chapters was the best part of the book. Good ideas for how to change the way we celebrate.
October 26, 2011
Non-Fiction; Religious/Christmas
3 stars
Christmas is Not Your Birthday is a unique short story that give its readers a new way to view the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus Christ.
Take away the hub-bub of the Christmas holiday season and the ‘cleaned up version’ of the nativity scene and author Mike Slaughter presents you with Mary’s life story in the raw.
A pregnant virgin?
A fiance/husband who chooses to believe her?
Traveling on a donkey while in labor?
Delivering your first born in the unsanitary conditions of a barn?
Watching your child grow up being ridiculed?
Kneeling at His feet as he hangs on a cross to die
Not exactly the modern day focus on Black Friday, Cyber Monday or on Christmas Day as we celebrate with presents galore, but rather an insiders look at the true emotions and turmoil that Mary and Joseph must have faced during that time. Remember, they were human just like you and me.
I encourage you to read this short story, if only to put perspective back in to your Christmas season. I promise you will not view the holiday the same way again.
***
This book reminded me of another book called Simply Jesus by Steve A Spangler. It is similiar in its concept but with a slightly longer explanation. I recommend this book as well.
3 stars
Christmas is Not Your Birthday is a unique short story that give its readers a new way to view the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus Christ.
Take away the hub-bub of the Christmas holiday season and the ‘cleaned up version’ of the nativity scene and author Mike Slaughter presents you with Mary’s life story in the raw.
A pregnant virgin?
A fiance/husband who chooses to believe her?
Traveling on a donkey while in labor?
Delivering your first born in the unsanitary conditions of a barn?
Watching your child grow up being ridiculed?
Kneeling at His feet as he hangs on a cross to die
Not exactly the modern day focus on Black Friday, Cyber Monday or on Christmas Day as we celebrate with presents galore, but rather an insiders look at the true emotions and turmoil that Mary and Joseph must have faced during that time. Remember, they were human just like you and me.
I encourage you to read this short story, if only to put perspective back in to your Christmas season. I promise you will not view the holiday the same way again.
***
This book reminded me of another book called Simply Jesus by Steve A Spangler. It is similiar in its concept but with a slightly longer explanation. I recommend this book as well.
October 23, 2015
United Methodist pastor and author Michael Slaughter shows how we have far strayed from the message of Jesus in the celebration of His birth. In this book, Rev. Slaughter encourages Christians to give Jesus what He wants for His birthday - “you--your time, your talent, and your treasure--used in service to others.” Slaughter makes a strong biblical case that this is what Jesus really wants from us, and he spends much of the book imploring us to pay attention. He admits his own failings in doing so but also provides specific examples of how his church has changed their Christmas celebration to respond more appropriately to Jesus’ birthday wish - and what great things have come out of it. There are a few practical tips in the final chapter but ultimately, this book seeks to re-frame your vision of what it means to celebrate Christmas and to honor Jesus Christ by focusing on what the Bible says Jesus has asked of us.
November 15, 2012
More is not more. Less is more. This is a good reminder about the reason for the season and especially apt at the start of the holiday season. A week from now, stores will be celebrating Black Friday by opening on Thursday to satisfy the hordes of shoppers. Where is Jesus in this frantic display of consumer greed? What is Christmas? A lot of what the author writes I can agree with, but then sometimes he goes a little further than I would be comfortable with.
April 15, 2012
The title says it all for me. I bought it around the holidays and just sort of left it out for my family to see. Christmas has become to commercialized and I would like to see it return to its original meaning of Jesus' birth and our celebration of God's love for us. This book helped to confirm that. The style was light and funny.
February 21, 2012
Our Sunday School class studied this book during the Advent season, and it really helped reprioritize and refocus the way we should approach the Advent and Christmas seasons, as well as prepare for the New Year. A definite escape from the materialism of Christmas and a great reality check!
December 25, 2011
This book will challenge you to look differently at how you celebrate the Savior's birth.
December 24, 2020
I was disappointed in this book because I don’t really identify with consumerism. I already don’t overdo Christmas. I didn’t really like the voice of the author, it sounded like he was yelling at me and being critical about things I’m not even guilty of. I think the basic premise is a good one. Getting caught up in buying lots of stuff and thinking it’s going to make a person happy is a trap that I left behind long ago.
November 11, 2019
A good guide for refocusing on the meaning of Christmas.
June 25, 2020
We did this study in our Sunday school class. It was ok. This particular author has some ideas that are pretty different from the norm.
December 13, 2022
A great perspective shift to learning how to celebrate the Servant King at Christmas by focusing on his values instead of my desires.
December 28, 2012
This book was written by a UMC pastor in our annual conference who has seen his church shaped into what many see as an excellent model for evangelical proclamation along with an incredibly strong sense of mission. This book, designed as a 5 week advent study essentially lays out the same ground work that has been applied at his church. The title pretty much gives the content of the book away. Essentially Slaughter takes the Christmas story and fashions it into a call for us to serve the least in this world. In that way the book is certainly a noble attempt to get Christians to look beyond themselves and into the world which Christ came to redeem. There was a lot of really good stuff in this book. I really wanted to give this book 2 stars, but there were enough redeeming qualities to it to make it worthy of the third.
The downside of this book is that in its zeal to make Christmas about everyone else, it fails to really get at the Gospel message of Christ coming to the world FOR US, to deliver US from slavery to sin and death, and to procure new life for us both in time and eternity. My sense is that Slaughter sees the FOR US message of Christmas to already be assumed, and that an over emphasis on the 'FOR US' has lead people to neglect the world around them. I think he makes a mistake in assuming that the 'FOR US' is already the accepted message of Christmas. In fact, I think the Christmas spending and debt which he rightly decries is more a result of our over emphasis on Christmas being a time to do for others. It is in the intense 'giving' that we find ourselves in debt. The book rightly focuses us on redirecting our intense giving, but it is loaded with a lot of masked guilt.
I liked a lot of this book, but it was not a book of 'Good News'. It took one of the greatest 'Gospel' occurrences, the birth of Christ, and turned it into a law. It took a liberating historical event and used it to bring people into a 'do good' bondage, that can just as easily lead to despair.
Again, lots of good stuff in here, but not the book that is really going to help you get at the 'true meaning' of Christmas.
The downside of this book is that in its zeal to make Christmas about everyone else, it fails to really get at the Gospel message of Christ coming to the world FOR US, to deliver US from slavery to sin and death, and to procure new life for us both in time and eternity. My sense is that Slaughter sees the FOR US message of Christmas to already be assumed, and that an over emphasis on the 'FOR US' has lead people to neglect the world around them. I think he makes a mistake in assuming that the 'FOR US' is already the accepted message of Christmas. In fact, I think the Christmas spending and debt which he rightly decries is more a result of our over emphasis on Christmas being a time to do for others. It is in the intense 'giving' that we find ourselves in debt. The book rightly focuses us on redirecting our intense giving, but it is loaded with a lot of masked guilt.
I liked a lot of this book, but it was not a book of 'Good News'. It took one of the greatest 'Gospel' occurrences, the birth of Christ, and turned it into a law. It took a liberating historical event and used it to bring people into a 'do good' bondage, that can just as easily lead to despair.
Again, lots of good stuff in here, but not the book that is really going to help you get at the 'true meaning' of Christmas.
January 10, 2014
Our Sunday School class used this book for our Advent Study. My husband and I were out of town most of the Sundays we covered this book. Though I missed the discussion times which I believe would have been very valuable in processing and meditating further on this material, I still found the book to be a beneficial read.
It is good to be reminded of ways in which the world influences how we spend our time and money during the Christmas season and make a conscious effort to slow down and focus on the gift of Jesus Christ our Savior- and in response to this life-changing gift God has graciously bestowed upon us, live lives of service and love.
Slaughter gives some practical ways his church gives and serves during the Christmas season and provides suggestions that can be applied to churches and families.
It is good to be reminded of ways in which the world influences how we spend our time and money during the Christmas season and make a conscious effort to slow down and focus on the gift of Jesus Christ our Savior- and in response to this life-changing gift God has graciously bestowed upon us, live lives of service and love.
Slaughter gives some practical ways his church gives and serves during the Christmas season and provides suggestions that can be applied to churches and families.
January 2, 2012
I was looking for something to inspire me for the Christmas Season and for some reason this book just didn't reach me in celebrating Christ. I disliked the first 25% and struggled through to 50% and just decided the approach doesn't work for me. I felt the author a bit too self congratulatory (though I think I understand what he was trying to do) and felt this was harming my spiritual growth rather than helping so I stopped reading. For some people I think this approach works, it just was not for me, but I understand that others have and will enjoy it.
January 28, 2012
Mike Slaughter makes the point that most of us celebrate Jesus's birthday by leaving him outside the house while we party with Santa Clause, Wal-Mart and the kids. Jesus expects us all to put our faith to work helping people and sharing His Word. Many good points are made that can change our direction from selfish to responsible. God will provide for our needs if we just do as he asks. We should train our children to recognize the needs of others and seek to make the world a better, more generous and honorable place to call home.
August 30, 2016
Mike Slaughter makes some really good points about the way we take the focus off of Jesus at Christmas and put it on ourselves and our families. He challenges us to be intentional about how we spend our time and money in a way that honors Christ's message. My Sunday School class did this as an Advent study, watching the accompanying DVD and discussing various points. It was interesting to find out just how stressful Christmas is for so many of us because of past family events and current situations. Our priorities are wrong! Well worth reading.
January 8, 2013
Was not quite what I was looking for. Used this book in an Advent study at church. Nobody in the group cared for it. Too much emphasis on the author's megachurch which it seems he ran without input from members. Too much emphasis on monetary giving. And as another reviewer mentioned, lots of repetition.
November 13, 2011
I have no problem reading christian/inspirational book but I could just not get into this one. The author had some good points but what he does not realize is that it is the big companies that he should go after not consumers/Christians. This was a free book in the kindle store.
June 8, 2012
A nice little readable book with good reminders about the true meaning of Christmas, but it doesn't say anything new. If you're familiar with a movement called "Advent Conspiracy," that's basically what this book is.
December 23, 2012
I first read this in 2001 as part of a small group study. I recently featured several quotes from this book on The High Calling here: http://www.thehighcalling.org/faith/t...
January 4, 2017
Having heard a lot about Mike Slaughter (but never having read one of his books), I had high expectations. This book was solid and the discussion questions were strong -- but I found myself wanting even more action items.
September 3, 2023
We've had this reminder before, but that's no reason not to use this book to take us back to deeper, less commercial reasons to celebrate Jesus's birth. Slaughter writes clearly, including numerous concrete examples from life and literature to illustrate the points he makes for us to ponder.
December 7, 2014
My Sunday School class read this book last year, but I found myself too busy to read it until now. This book is very thought provoking and I am glad that I made time this holiday season to read it and plan to read it each year to help remind myself what Christmas is really about.
December 26, 2011
A very good book that helped me stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas through the holidays.
November 4, 2011
Good thoughts, good message, could probably have been further developed, but a good quick read. Worth picking up!
November 18, 2011
easy read,not deep, full of feel good, but be a servant popular Christmas philosophy. I read this today while substitute teaching. Ok, but nothing new here.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews