(My Newest Book!) How Christmas Is Only Half the Story & Why You Can’t Miss The 2nd Tree in The Story

When she said it to me, she kinda shook her head: “Everyone loves Christmas – but do people really love what Christ came for?” 

The woman reached over to pick up her full coffee mug, held it as if she was underlining what she said next: 

“Everyone loves to reduce Jesus to some quaint, palatable manger scene – but do you really think there’s actually a revival of people who want Jesus to actually have the lead role in their lives?”

“Everyone loves to reduce Jesus to some quaint, palatable manger scene – but do you really think there’s actually a revival of people who want Jesus to actually have the lead role in their lives?”   

I reach for the half and half for mine and dare say it aloud:  “Yes.” 

Yes, because what people really want is the whole story. And they won’t settle for half a story, a reductive story, a fake story, or a commercialized story — because people want to do more than just see Jesus in the manger, they actually want to walk with Jesus, gaze in His face, hear His voice, know the beat of His heart. People actually want to do life with Jesus because they are tired of being worn out, and a ctually want to live, fully, really live. 

Now is that time that we are at a revival point in history, where we all refuse to be distracted into settling for anything less than the full love story of Christ: Which is more than just tucking a pretty creche under the Christmas tree, but it’s ultimately about walking with the Christ who takes the nails on Calvary’s Tree to powerfully crush the enemy and resurrect us all to actual life. 

The most neglected tree of Christmas has not actually been Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree, but the rugged tree of Calvary.  

What people really want now at Christmas is to experience the greatest gift of Jesus coming down and entering into life here – and then what they actually want every day is to be with Jesus, keep company with Jesus, and be loved to the fullest life in Jesus. They want to pilgrimage with Jesus every day. 

Now, just yesterday, when it’s hardly even the third day of Advent, a friend messages me: “Not sure if you remember what you wrote for an Advent reading, but it cut open my heart that you wrote:

“We lost ourselves at one tree.  And we only find ourselves at another tree.”

And I’m cut to the quick: The most neglected tree of Christmas has not actually been Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree, but the rugged tree of Calvary.  

But now? Now there’s a revival happening everywhere, and people want to walk with Jesus:  

We may deck out our Christmas trees, but people aren’t willing to neglect or gloss over the most oft’ forgotten tree of Christmas: the tree of Calvary. 

“If God doesn’t do another thing for us here on earth – the Second Tree is enough!” 

Now? In days of revival like these? 

Because much was lost at Eden’s tree, we may linger starry-eyed at our Christmas trees, but what we all need most is to walk with Jesus all the way to the Tree of Calvary. 

It’s exactly what my friend messaged me next, in the early days of Advent, that is an echo of revival happening everywhere: 

“How my heart is just filled today because of that Second Tree! If God doesn’t do another thing for us here on earth – the Second Tree is enough!” 

Revival! Real Life! The Second Tree is Enough! To walk with Jesus, do life with Jesus, pilgrimage with Him to the Second Tree!

“All our hearts are actually longing for more than just beautiful holidays —- we’re all actually longing for a beautiful Savior.!”

Because if the God of the universe had just been born under a star and lay swaddled in the manger straw of Bethlehem, that might awe us. 

But it’s only when we follow that God to where He lay down His life on a rugged Tree at Calvary to give us His life  — does the story of God actually fully comfort us.

Because the reality is: 

All our hearts are actually longing for more than just beautiful holidays —- we’re all actually longing for a beautiful Savior. 

What we are all longing for is more than a magical Christmas — we’re all longing for a spiritual encounter with the very real God. 

Christmas may be about the celebration of the birth of a child — but there’s more: Christ came for  the celebration of our rebirth into the best life! 

Christmas may be about family all coming home for the holidays — but there’s more: Christ came so all of your days could be about coming home to our smiling heavenly Father who embraces you as His family! 

Christmas may be a natural fit for a secular holiday, but Christ came as the perfect fit for the God-shaped hole in our hearts, to change and give life to all of our days.

Christmas may be about the centrality of family and a child-centered holiday — but there’s more: Christ came for everyone, for the centrality of a flourishing life in Him in the midst of everything, for joy-centered days, every day, enjoying Him and the life of wholeness our souls were made for!

Christmas may be a natural fit for a secular holiday, but Christ came as the perfect fit for the God-shaped hole in our hearts, to change and give life to all of our days.

The greatest gift of Christmas is to behold the babe Jesus.  

And the greatest travesty of Christmas would be to leave Jesus in the manger instead of walking with Him as friend, teacher, Lord— as King, as Savior, as your very life – your everything.  

I pour another cup of coffee, with another dash of half and half, to drink slow and linger in front of the soft, glowing lights of our Christmas tree, but what the heart’s feeling is the glowing heat of these days of revival and the longing to actually pilgrimage with Jesus because of the love of the second tree, the tree of Calvary, and the life He came to give: 

You really love Christmas – when you really love what Christ came for.

You really love Christmas when your Christmas ignites with the blazing hope that: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… In him was Life, and that Life was the Light of all mankind…” John 1:1-4. 

You really love Christmas — when you love the life that Christ came to give you.

I drink the coffee cup empty in front of the Christmas tree. And I long to keep company with Jesus to the full life found at the Second Tree. 

The heart fills.

My newest book finishes the story The Greatest Gift began: Come be Loved To Life

A 40-Day Spiritual Pilgrimage following the entire life of Jesus, through the Gospel of John, taking us to the Tree of Calvary & the Fullest Life

This coming year, take a 40 day journey, from barely getting through — to passionately living the fullest life. Come be Loved to Life

You know how a 25 Day Advent journey by the Christmas tree, to unwrap the Greatest Gift of Jesus in the manger is a gift of love?

Imagine how a 40 Day Pilgrimage with Jesus, walking intimately with Him through the Gospel of John, through Holy Week, to Calvary’s Tree will actually give you LIFE!

So here, right now, is your invitation to continue the journey from the creche to the Cross and into abundant life, for the 40 days leading up to Easter: Pilgrimage with Jesus, through the whole of His life, as told in the Gospel of John, and deeply experience the rest of the story of Jesus, experience His signs and wonders, discover the seven I Ams of Jesus and intimately experience the love of Christ. Hang 40 ornaments on an Easter tree, tracing the path from the wood of the manger to the wood of the cross, and finally to the empty tomb, where we experience the rising life, and life to the full!

Discover each day, these 40 original woodcut illustrations, all available as free, evocative, downloadable ornaments, for your own Easter Tree, that illustrates more of the life of Christ, the rest of His story: His love, His sacrifice, His resurrection — each corresponding to that day’s devotion from Loved to Life.

If you’ve loved the tradition of decorating a Christmas tree with ornaments that beautifully tell the story of how, right from the beginning, all the stories of the Old Testament have been anticipating Jesus’ birth, you’ll cherish celebrating Easter by decorating an Easter tree—a tree that completes the New Testament story of Jesus’ life and His love, sacrifice, and resurrection — to give us life.

These — along with so many other free gifts! are yours, as our sincere thank-you, when you pre-order Loved to Life

Pre-Order Loved to Life & Get All Your Free Thank You Gifts HereAnd Our Free, Thank You Christmas Gift for You!

You never have to feel behind this December! Or feel like you’re missing Him this Advent!

As our heartfelt thank you for pre-ordering Loved to Life you get the the entire free audiobook of the classic, NYTimes bestseller, The Greatest Gift! 

Wherever you, whatever you’re doing, Ann will read that day’s Advent readings to you! Anndd? You’ll also receive the gift of free access to Ann’s 4-part Advent Christmas video series, filmed at the farm, unwrapping the wonder of Jesus in The Greatest Gift.

Turn & gaze on the One who gave you His whole life― and you’ll find the love you’ve been looking for your whole life. Come be Loved To Life

and come here for all your free gifts including the Free Audiobook of The Greatest Gift, perfect for your Advent joy!