David:     While recently clearing out the last of a number of storage lockers, I found something really quite special.

Karen:     Well, you’re going to tell us what it is or you’re just going to leave us here hanging in suspense.

David:     I just wanted to build up a little anxiety for people before I tell them what that treasure was that I found. Okay?

Intro:      Welcome to the Before We Go Podcast featuring Dr. David Mains and his wife, noted author Karen Mains. Here’s David and Karen Mains.

David:     The Chapel of the Air was a 15-minute Monday through Saturday radio ministry heard on some 500 plus stations across the country.

Karen:     This radio ministry was started actually by your uncle John Jess when the Federal Communications Commission opens the United States Airways to religious programming. I think that was sometime in the late 1930s or early 1940s.

David:     John D. Jess, that was my mother’s brother. Yes, he was one of the very early religious broadcasters and when he eventually retired, I became the new voice on the program.

Karen:     That was in the late 1970s and sometimes you and I dialogued and that was kind of a new approach for religious radio at that time. Husband and wife talking together.

David:     I found, Karen, that I would set up the yearly calendar much like when I was pastoring. We knew there were two key times. Easter, that was a key time and then also Christmas. And we developed very meaningful materials for those times. For example, in February, we began talking about a 50-day spiritual adventure and that was for the season centering around Easter.

Karen:     During those years, we were working with teams of pastors. We had millions of listeners all across the country. So, this was a program that we began that we would kind of project they could order from us and then use in their churches. It was a big deal really at that time.

David:     Yeah, talk about the Advent calendar.

Karen:     You and I weren’t raised in churches that followed the church calendar. That’s more a part of liturgical churches. But we did begin to attend some liturgical churches later on in life and learned a lot from those people. Advent, which is the season that begins four Sundays prior to Christmas Day, prepares us when we observe it to participate in that day with ready spirits and hearts. We don’t just jump into Christmas or leap into Christmas. Christmas can be the most hectic season of all.

David:     Yeah, people determine every year they’re not going to allow that to happen every year.

Karen:     It always do.

David:     It just happens.

Karen:     It’s the season on the church calendar. This is a little bit different every year. It begins sometimes in late November or early December. The particular dates change.

David:     Christmas this coming year is December 25. So, if you back it up, there are four Sundays of Advent. So, the first Sunday of Advent is going to be, this year, December 3. And then December 10, 17, and 24. Those are all Sundays. And then after the 24th of Sunday, Christmas is Monday morning and all day on the 25th. Ok?

Karen:     So, why are we talking about this now?

David:     I discovered that all of a sudden, wow, I just hit the jackpot. It’s something that I never dreamed we still had any of. We created, Karen, for five years very beautiful Advent calendars. Now when people hear Advent calendar, they think usually of the little children where you open a window and the…

Karen:     …kitchen door and the refrigerator door.

David:     And it was kind of a countdown until a wonderful Christmas day when they get their presents.

Karen:     Those are wonderful too. But this is a meditation tool. It’s a desktop calendar, beautifully designed, five by eight inches. And it has a spiral ring binder top. So, you flip the pages…

David:     These are 98 pages.

Karen:     But it leads the people who are doing this either alone or with their children or with a small Bible study group, whatever. It leads those people through the Advent season so that when Christmas comes, they’re not rushing into it. They’re prepared for it.

Advent very often was a time in the liturgical churches for self-examination, for looking at yourself and saying, “Where have I erred? Where did I not this year keep my vow of faith? Where do I need confession? What do I need to change? Where do I need forgiveness?”

So, the advent calendar helps us to be much more mindful of the season in preparation. It’s wonderful, wonderful tool. And like we said, it’s beautifully designed.

David:     Well, we did five years of these advent calendars. And there were some wonderful topics: “The Christmas you’ve always longed for.” That hits a lot of people in the place where, “Yeah, I want to have that Christmas I’ve always longed for.”

Karen:     Yeah. I think one of them was titled “From Hambug to Hallelujah.”

David:     This one happens to be titled “The Amazing Emmanuel,” following the true hero for all time. “The Amazing Emanuel.” Karen, part of this was brainstorm groups. We’d get together. We had 50 employees, and we would get the good thinkers and say, “Okay, we got another advent coming up.” And usually start working a little over a year ahead of time.

Karen:     Some of our employees had been formerly pastors. They led our pastors’ conferences and so they came out of that church leadership background.

David:     “The Amazing Emmanuel.” This is how it all came into being when these ideas started to form. In one of those brainstorm times, it was said that the volumes, the great books of the Western world lists three ways heroes are distinguished from other men and women. And so, we look those up and in that reading we found.

First, they’re capable of extraordinary feats beyond the ability of normal folk. Who shoots webs like Spiderman, huh?

Second, heroes are courageous. Whatever Batman shortcomings, he’s not a coward. Okay?

Third, heroes experience some degree of aloneness or isolation. Clark Kent, Superman, must always be careful not to reveal his true identity. All heroes, whether of antiquity or modern times, manifest these three qualities.

Now, I’m reading actually from copy in this advent calendar. Interestingly, Jesus Christ, also exhibits these characteristics. For example, who did miracles that rival his. Our Lord also faced his opposition courageously, even when he knew his road led to Calvary. And finally, as the old spiritual states, Jesus walked this lonesome valley. He had to walk it all alone. Nobody else could walk it for him.

How fitting that during this advent season, we honor Jesus as the amazing Emmanuel, the true hero for all time. I’m reading this directly from the advent calendar. Okay?

Karen:     Well, I think the theme is intriguing because we do have these heroic figures through all of literature, you know. In all cultures I imagine. And here you have the real true superhero, the God’s son who he sends to earth, who demonstrates these extraordinary qualities.

David:     And it was very exciting as the brainstorm team got together as we begin to see that works. That works.

Karen:     That works. Yeah, that’s wonderful.

David:     Discover what true hero worship is like. That’s Advent week one. As a follower of the amazing Emmanuel: this is what you were to do. Read what the advent calendar says. Okay, Karen?

Karen:     Okay. This is what the advent week one says in the tabletop advent calendar. “As a follower of the amazing Emmanuel, discover what true hero worship is like. Many superheroes have sidekicks. Think of Batman and Robin, the Lone Ranger and Tonto, the Green Hornet and Cato. Even Secret Squirrel had Morocco mole.

David:     Oh my God.

Karen:     This was fun to put together, wasn’t it?

The sidekick’s role is to be supportive of and take a back seat to the real hero. Now, this is interesting. John the Baptist knew that this was his relationship to Christ.

David:     Wonderful.

Karen:     His worshipful attitude was that he must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less. When the translation I memorized, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Make it a point this advent season to focus less on people’s opinion of you and more on what others think about Jesus. In doing so, you should learn a great deal about true worship or attributing worth to God. Wonderful lead-in.

David:     That’s the theme for the first week. Turn Karen to the back cover of this. Again, it’s almost like a book. These are illustrated in color. They’re very nice. The whole calendar is almost 100 pages. Ok?

Karen:     So, the headline is: This Christmas celebrate the Amazing Emmanuel.

And as I go through it, I’m just so impressed with how beautiful the artwork is in it as well. Sometimes it takes a fresh perspective to help us focus on the wonderful central truth of Christmas. That the baby we celebrate is Emmanuel, God with us. This year, take the perspective that the God who is with us is also our true hero. Beautiful.

David:     Yeah. On this Christmas journey, you will, and now these are, start each one, discover what true hero worship is like. Learn to share your hero’s super stories. Protect the weak in superhero fashion. That’s a great theme, isn’t it?

Karen:     Yeah.

David:     Keep alive the tale of the wonder child’s birth. Experience your hero’s superpower. And watch the sky for your superhero’s return.

Karen:     That’s beautiful, David.

David:     It really is. Keep reading from the back cover.

Karen:     Okay. This devotional calendar lays out a course of action that will enhance your Christmas experience. Each biblically based theme draws in our cultural interest in heroes to reveal the truth that Jesus Christ, the true hero for all time, has come to us. Beginning with Advent Sunday 1 and continuing through the traditional 12 days of Christmas, this journey involves…

David:     …a manageable plan for a Christ-centered Christmas.

Karen:     Daily scripture readings to keep your focus on Christ.

David:     Uplifting devotional thoughts that point you to the true spirit of Christmas.

Karen:     Practical suggestions for Advent activities to deepen your holiday experience.

David:     Innovative ideas for families with children as well as for couples and singles.

Karen:     Simple but meaningful candle-lighting ceremonies for children and adults.

David:     User friendly instructions on making an Advent wreath to enhance your celebration.

Karen:     It’s pretty well covered, isn’t it? That’s wonderful, David. This is just a beautiful piece. I’m so glad you found those boxes. Well now, why are we doing this now?

David:     Well, Karen, again, the whole Christmas season, December, all the way through the end of the year in New Year, it just hits you. You say, I’m not going to let it get away from me this year, but bam, it just does. So, you need some kind of a help to keep you on track. And even if you happen to miss a day, miss two days during the week, it still brings you back and has that same theme you’re working for.

It’s just a marvelous, marvelous tool. I thought they were all gone. Now I’ve found this stash where there are a number of these. We sold them, Karen. We sold them to churches. Churches ordered boxes of them.

Karen:     Churches would go on this Advent experience together. Everyone in the church would go.

David:     Yeah, I’m making these available and we’re doing it early because you can’t think Christmas with it. You have to think Advent, which starts almost as soon as December begins. So, we’ll talk about it this visit, but we’ll not talk about it again. So, if you don’t act now, you’re probably not going to act, okay?

What we’re asking is not a donation. This is a sale. We sold them for $10.

You can order as many as they like and we will pay the postage, as well. The important part is that they do this quickly and you need to make a checkout to Mainstay. You can make it to Mainstay Ministries if you want. But it’s just… make it Mainstay. We can bank it. It won’t be any problem. Now here’s our address:

Mainstay Ministries, Box 30, Wheaton, W-H-E-A-T-O-N, Illinois, 60187.

Okay, now I’ll repeat that again a couple of times before we finish our podcast. But get ready for it.

Karen:     Yeah…

David:     You want to have some kind of a writing and sort of write it all down. Okay?

Karen:     I think we’re making a point of this now. we won’t talk about again in another podcast so that people can order these. And I would suggest that they order them not only for themselves but for maybe their extended family. I’m planning on giving these as gifts to our adult grandchildren, to friends, so that they have a way to set aside Advent and become really ready for the Christmas season. It’s just a wonderful time.

David:     Yeah, it doesn’t matter what your church is going to be preaching as far as their themes are concerned. This is self-contained.

Karen:     Right.

David:     Okay, I’m ready to give that address once again. Why don’t you do it? See if you got it in your mind.

Karen:     You’re throwing it to me like that.

Mainstay Ministries, Box 30, Wheaton, W-H-E-A-T-O-N, Wheaton, Illinois, 60187.

David:     You’re amazing. You’re not the amazing Emmanuel, but you still are amazing.

Karen:     Thank you, David.

David:     I didn’t think you’d be able to do that. And I would have to come to your rescue and be a hero. Okay, Karen, I would just like to say some of the other things that are a part here. There are instructions for families with little children, families with older children, you know, all those.

Karen:     Someone just to do on their own too. It doesn’t have to be family related.

David:     Yeah, when you say you’re going to send it to our adult grandchildren, we have some children who are just into their teens now. I think they would be very capable. So, I would say once you hit the teen years on up, the material is very interesting. For the little kids, then somebody else has to do the reading for them.

Karen:     Well, but there is a worship plan just designed for children who are younger. So, it’s a lovely piece. Really, I’m proud of this work.

David:     Okay, I’m ready for that address once again. I’ll put you under the microscope and see if you can get it right once more.

Karen:     You are alluding to the softening of memory that goes on with old age. Okay, here we go. We’re sending it to:

Mainstay Ministries, Box 30, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.

David:     Okay. And how many advent calendars can a person order?

Karen:     As many as they want.

David:     Yeah, that’s fair.

Karen:     And they’re $10 each.

David:     I tried to write in a sentence what it is that was on our minds and why I was so excited about this. Because I remember reading all of the letters from people saying, “What a help! Thank you so much for putting this together. I deeply appreciate it.” Because most church people need help making Christ the focus of their Christmas season. We worked hard creating a series of truly meaningful advent calendars.

One such one was called the Amazing Emmanuel. And we have a number of those calendars available which I didn’t think we did until just a couple of days ago when I found these boxes in the storage. Wowee! Look at this.

Karen:     Just in time for this podcast.

David:     Mint conditioned. The boxes weren’t even open. I mean, they I had opened and what do we have now? Oh, my golly, these are The Amazing Emmanuel advent calendars. Good, good, good. So now we’ve said it one podcast. I don’t think that we need to develop the theme anymore. I think everything makes sense. Anything you want to add?

Karen:     No, not at all.

David:     Okay, take advantage of the offer, friend. I think you’ll be very pleased that you did.

Outgo:     You’ve been listening to the Before We Go podcast. And if you would like to write to us, please send us an email at the following address,  hosts@beforewego.show. If you’ve enjoyed this podcast, please remember to rate, review, and share on whatever platform you listen. This podcast is copyright 2023 by Mainstay Ministries, Post Office Box 30, Wheaton, Illinois 60187.