A Dog in the Manger and Other Christmas Stories

by Jim Simons

Overview

An immaculate blanket of snowfall, the blessing of an unexpected gift, the miracle of a Heavenly Child—surprises are ingrained into the very nature of the Christmas tradition. Yet, when the overwhelming spirit of the holiday season collides with the chance conflicts of everyday life, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep the true meaning of Christmas in sight.

A Dog in the Manger and Other Christmas Stories is a collection of tales that capture the chaos of the yuletide while also portraying the power of Christmas to shepherd souls of all kinds—young, old, hopeful, lost, content, confused—to confront and redefine faith in the face of spiritual adversity. Sure to inspire reflection and retelling, these stories celebrate the miracles of everyday life, showing that strangers can become angels, foes can become good Samaritans, and neighborhoods can become communities of faith. Even the most chaotic incidents bring people closer to themselves, their families, their communities, and to God during the Christmas season.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442241824
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	11/20/2014
Pages:	180
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Rev. Dr. James Simons is a Pittsburgh native and has been a priest of the Episcopal Church since 1985. He has served the past twenty-six years as the Rector of St. Michael's of the Valley in Ligonier, PA.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. A Dog in the Manger
2. Little Brown Bats and Silly Voices
3. Angels Unaware
4. Little Miss Christmas Tree
5. The Three Wise Guys
6. Personal Care Pageant
7. St. Michael
8. Comfort and Joy
9. Renovations
10. The Gift Giver
11. We Three Kings
12. I’ll Be Home for Christmas

Editorial Reviews

Lucky is the parish church that has Jim Simons as a preacher and story teller. With this wonderful book of Christmas tales, we have the privilege to share in that gift as well. These stories had me laughing out loud and even shedding a few tears. As the author tells us, stories convey truth and can touch the heart. His stories have done exactly that. I will enjoy using stories from A Dog in a Manger and Other Christmas Stories in my preaching and my teaching.

Douglas E. Neel

Here are modern parables ignited by everything that is beautiful about Christianity. Highly readable, to be sure. But more important, repeatable by anyone who loves Christmas.

Charlie Humphrey

In A Dog in the Manger and Other Christmas Stories, Jim Simons shares a series of stories he has written for and shared with his congregation as Christmas Eve sermons. The collection makes these available to those of us who love and need stories at Christmastime and throughout the year. This book has the capacity to move even the most reluctant reader.... [Simmons] is able to provide us with new ways to glimpse, touch, and understand the meaning of Christmas. As hearer – participants of Simon's stories, we bring all of our human failings into the sanctuary with us: we are greedy, poor, fearful, guilty, and broken. And in the manger, especially near the manger, we are especially welcome. What we are is what we bring, and as Simons reminds us, what we bring will inevitably be transformed.

The Anglican Theological Review

In the tradition of Jesus himself, Jim Simons is a masterful story teller. His stories embody the miracle of Christmas as played out in our own ordinary everyday lives.

Governor Dick and Ginny Thornburgh

These tales are earthy, whimsical, and moving, and I am grateful for the pastor's heart that shines through every page. Part Frank Capra and part Luke the Evangelist, in these stories George Bailey meets the Angel of the Annunciation.

The Right Reverend Dorsey W. M. McConnell D.D.

Digging out Christmas amongst the seasonal chaos is the subject of A Dog in the Manger and other Christmas Stories by the Rev. Jim Simons, rector of St. Michael’s of the Valley in Ligonier, Pa.. . .The tales cut to the heart of the meaning of Christmas in the midst of the messiness of everyday life and the extraordinary miracles to be found in the ordinary.

Episcopal Journal

Jim Simons's Christmas tales are woven moments of everyday wonder and faith. His stories convey whimsical, humorous, and chaotic happenings that change direction so unexpectedly and with such powerful and hopeful resolution as to resonate in any reader's heart. Woven throughout these tales is an illuminating and transporting essence that brings the reader from moments of wishful thinking to truth, from brokenness to being healed, from sadness to joy, from despair to hopefulness, to believing in love once again.

Elisabeth von Trapp

In these touching stories, Jim Simons shares with us the gifts of wisdom, humor, and faith that he gives his congregation each year on Christmas Eve. May the miracle of the season touch each of us anew as it touches Jim's memorable characters.

Gay Clark Jennings

In the tradition of Jesus himself, Jim Simons is a masterful story teller. His stories embody the miracle of Christmas as played out in our own ordinary everyday lives.

From the Publisher

In A Dog in the Manger and Other Christmas Stories, Jim Simons shares a series of stories he has written for and shared with his congregation as Christmas Eve sermons. The collection makes these available to those of us who love and need stories at Christmastime and throughout the year. This book has the capacity to move even the most reluctant reader.... [Simmons] is able to provide us with new ways to glimpse, touch, and understand the meaning of Christmas. As hearer – participants of Simon's stories, we bring all of our human failings into the sanctuary with us: we are greedy, poor, fearful, guilty, and broken. And in the manger, especially near the manger, we are especially welcome. What we are is what we bring, and as Simons reminds us, what we bring will inevitably be transformed.

Anglican Theological Review