52 Little Lessons from A Christmas Carol

Just in time for the Christmas season, Bob Welch has released this amazing and beautiful Christmas inspirational book, 52 Little Lessons from A Christmas Carol. In it you will find those fond moments in the movie A Christmas Carol and how we can use those moments to impact our lives and those around us to help draw people closer to Christ in ways like never before. Most people have watched the movie The Christmas Carol and can identify with the them of the restoration and forgiveness and renewal Ebenezer Scrooge experiences in the course of one evening through the four spirits that visit him. He gets the opportunity to make amends before his life ends and therefore condemning him to the same fate of his partner Bob Marley.

The story of Ebenezer Scrooge probably stands out in all of literature as the one of the most redemptive - a hopeful portrait of a life radically remade and one that will inspire us all to take into consideration the little life lessons that can be gleaned when watching A Christmas Carol or perhaps reading it this Christmas in a whole new life and light. Bob Welch reminds us that if there is mercy for Scrooge, there must be deliverance in equal measure for all us in this heartwarming book.

For example in the Lesson 6 "It's About More Than Christmas" we are given a quote at the beginning of each chapter from Charles Dicken's classic novel, A Christmas Carol, and in this case, "The only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely." ~ Scrooge's Nephew, Fred.

"When you think about it, it'd odd that the world selects a particular time of year when everyone is supposed to be nice to everyone else. The unspoken inference is that you should feel no particular responsibility toward others the rest of the year. Oh, sure, children might be told their Christmas cache is dependent on whether they've been naughty or nice all year long, but the overriding message is that this is a special season of kindness.

"Dickens was particularly fond of the Christmas season, and he expressed that fondness in A Christmas Carol through Bob and Fred, the latter of who makes an impassioned defense of Christmas: " a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their hearts freely." Hear! Hear! But shouldn't we amortize such spirit all year long instead of offering only a lump-sum payment come December? The point isn't to deride such others-oriented thinking, but to remind us all that that's how Scripture suggest we should live: All year long, 24/7. Every day. In good times and in bad times. In sickness and in health. Joyfully. With others in mind. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit," says Philippians 2:3. "Rather, in humility value others above yourselves." At Christmastime. and not at Christmastime. All the time." (except from Lesson 6, page 19-20).

I received 52 Little Lessons from A Christmas Carol by Bob Welch compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation, aside for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This would make a great gift for anyone who loves Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol or simply looking for a great inspirational book for Christmas that they can reference any time. There is so many great quotes and life lessons that you can't help but want to review the book or movie once again and see it from a different perspective. This would even be a great resource to incorporate into small groups Bible Studies or for youth or church lessons as well. There is so many great aspects you can glean from this book and it makes for a perfect book to begin 52 days before Christmas to put you in the right frame of mind. I rate this one a 5 out of 5 stars and has found a permanent home with my Christmas collection.

For more information about 52 Little Lessons from A Christmas Carol, Bob Welch or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

52 Little Lessons from A Christmas Carol by Bob Welch 

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52 Little Lessons from It's A Wonderful Life

"It's full of romance, that old place. I'd like to live in it." ~ Mary, on the night she and George throw rocks and make wishes at the old Granville House.

This is the quote from Chapter 19, titled " Don't look for What is, but for What May Be" in the book, 52 Little Lessons from It's A Wonderful Life by Bob Welch. In this chapter, the reader is reminded of how vastly different George and Mary view their world; for George at 12 years old working the soda fountain he informs Mary where Coconuts come from, "Tahiti, Fiji Islands, the Coral Sea!" Mary has no idea where they come from, she just wants chocolate ice cream while George wants to go exploring.

But here's the thing about Mary Hatch: She knows what matters. She has keen insight. Imagination. Initiative. Intuition. Perspective. And, when you boil it right down, wisdom. And what it all seems to tell her is this: the grass isn't necessarily greener somewhere else. Why not, instead, take what you have right now, right here, and make the most of it?

We first see that in the soda shop scene. Forget the ice cream. Forget the Fiji Islands. What Mary wants, among other things we can assume, is to grow up and marry George Bailey. It may only be puppy love, but when Mary whispers into George's bad ear, "I'll love you till the day I die," we're witnessing the initiative of a young woman who knows something good when she sees it. Never mind that this model comes with its deficiencies; the kid can't hear out of one ear since he jumped into that icy pond to save his brother. Despite George's weaknesses, Mary sees something special in him. Mary sees potential in things where most see only weaknesses, like God does with us. He doesn't care as much about where we've been as where we are going. About what we look like now as what we might look like in the future. About the defeats of yesterday as what might be our victories of tomorrow. With Him, all things are made new. Even decrepit folks like us." (pg, 74)



This book takes readers back to their favorite Christmas classic and teaches us through the movie, It's a Wonderful Life, how God wants us to learn things through His word to make us better people. I am so excited to share this treasure with you through my review and since there are 52 lessons captured in this book, there is one for each week, but I had to read them all. Such classic lines are quoted to open each of the chapters, and we are taken back to specific clips in the movie to see things we didn't know were there, little nuggets of pure Godly wisdom that when applied can change our perspective on things much like how Mary Hatch views the Granville House that is abandoned and in a state of complete disrepair. George doesn't even want to live in it as a ghost but Mary sees the potential of what good be.

We are reminded that it's far too easy to focus on how bad things look instead of simply changing our perspectives and seeing the greatness that is there instead. Mary's ability to take what life has given her and she makes the most of it. Quite simply, Mary teaches us that the best things in life are simple things that surround us, especially when coupled with our imaginations. Then we can exploit those things for goodness. And with God's help, to make it more than anyone else could have imagined.



I received 52 Little Lessons from It's A Wonderful Life by Bob Welch compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers for my honest review and HIGHLY RECOMMEND this one to anyone who is a fan of It's A Wonderful Life. There are such amazing things tucked inside this wonderful book, fun movie facts, and life lessons that are bound to keep the Christmas spirit going inside us all year long. I easily rate this as a 5 out of 5 stars and will definitely keep this one near me all year long for reference and a constant reminder of what is good in our lives everyday if we are simply willing to find it.

For more information on this book, the author Bob Welch and where to pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:

52 Little Lessons from It's A Wonderful Life by Bob Welch

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