From Patrick Lencioni
Every year during this time, we receive Christmas cards from families that include letters describing their various activities and status changes. Though I am sure they are usually well-intended, some of these updates seem like
marketing-oriented press releases, which is why
some have come to refer to them as “brag letters.”
Seven Tips for
Sparkling Christmas Letters
1. Start off on a positive note.
2. Shorter is sweeter.
3. Write in your own voice.
4. Keep your audience in mind.
5. Resist the urge to embellish.
6. Be selective about photos.
7. Make it personal.
There’s something missing…
Christ-MAS letter or Christ-LESS letter?
Philippians 1:1-18a (NIV)
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi,
together with the overseers and deacons:
Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God every time I remember you.
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy
because of your partnership in the gospel from the
first day until now, being confident of this,
that he who began a good work in you
will carry it on to completion until
the day of Jesus Christ.
It is right for me to feel this way about all of you,
since I have you in my heart and,
whether I am in chains of defending and confirming
the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.
God can testify how I long for all of you
with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer: that your love may abound
more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
so that you may be able to discern what is best
and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes
through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.
Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters,
that what has happened to me has actually served
to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become
clear throughout the whole palace guard
and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ.
And because of my chains, most of the brothers
and sisters have become confident in the Lord and
dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.
It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry,
but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love,
knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.
The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition,
not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble
for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter?
The important thing is that in every way,
whether from false motives or true,
Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice.
We stand in unified prayer with our brothers and sisters in Newton, CT
