Follow the Star: Christmas Stories That Changed My Life

Spend time with the people you love; remember that Jesus is the real reason for the holiday; don't lose sight of the important things in the holiday rush. These are familiar Christmas lessons, but Bishop Jakes's charismatic style infuses them with new freshness in this endearing book of personal remembrances of the Christmas season. Quite a stretch from Jakes's usual fare (Woman, Thou Art Loosed; God's Leading Lady), this volume aims to pull the essence out of the Bible's Christmas story, connecting the significance of the star that led the wise men to the infant Savior, to the greater Star, Jesus Christ.""Without Him, the paths we travel on during our years here are rocky and slippery, our days are dark and empty,"" Jakes writes.""He is not only the one we worship; He is the one we follow."" Jakes uses the ongoing theme of following Jesus to encourage his readers to dream big dreams, to have the patience to see them realized in God's timing and to retain hope no matter how tough the circumstances. Such uplifting moral lessons are made even more pleasant by the author's inclusion of personal holiday anecdotes. He mentions his pleasure in cooking up tasty Christmas treats, for example, and his dread of climbing onto the roof to take down lights once December 25th has passed. Warm, touching and comical at the same time, this charming book will be a cheerful addition to the shelf during the holidays, with meaningful principles that apply all year long.