We've made it to episode 23 of Faith All Over the Place, and I guess we'll consider this one our Christmas (or Advent) special. My friend, colleague, and partner in podcasting excellence, Stephen Kruiser, and I welcomed our colleague, Ashley McCully, to the mic to talk about Advent traditions.
I realized as we began talking that we're in three different stages of how we celebrate Christmas: Ashley has two young kids, Kruiser has a grown daughter, and I have a large extended family but no kids of my own. My evangelical/non-denominational perspective is remarkably different from their Catholic outlook on the season as well.
Ashley described her journey with Advent: growing up Baptist, converting to Catholicism, and becoming a mom. My experience is a little different. I don't know if most Restoration Movement churches do or don't do Advent, but the congregation where I grew up in the '80s didn't. And even when my family founded what's now Eastridge Church, it was just the "Christmas season" until a few years ago. Eastridge embracing Advent came at a time when it took on a deeper meaning for me personally as well.
We talked about withdrawing into family versus getting out among friends and community, the importance of serving others, and the dread of commercialism. We discussed how this time of year changes us as writers, and Ashley touched on Christmastime as a military wife and mom with a husband who is deployed.
If you're keeping track of our diversions, we did pretty well until the end. We got into a little inside baseball about PJ Media and passive voice. IYKYK.
Previously on Faith All Over the Place, Episode 22: The Annual Trashing of Secular Holiday Music
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