Good Morning Aviators!! …What does Maverick, Top Gun, and Tom Cruise have to do with the 12 Days of Christmas? …I’ll get to that.

Welcome to a bonus series for Monday Moments leaders and friends: The 12 Days of Christmas. I hope these short boosts make each day of this Christmas season a little more inspiring, a little less commercialized, a little more positive, a little less of a grind, and a little more spiritual, as we all seek to become better versions of ourselves and stewards of our leadership roles in life.

“Twelve Drummers Drumming” actually had nothing to do with drummers. FYI, each of the verses originated as part of a “memory-and-forfeit” game which originated to help teach children the traditional Christmas message in a time when America wasn’t a country yet and the governments in Europe weren’t so supportive of true Christians and the true Christmas message.

In the game, it was the numbers that each stood for a significant portion of the historical faith story, and the rest had more to do with nursery rhymes, answers in a game, and some celebrative elements of the times. For this day, the “12” represented the 12 main points of the Apostles Creed, from a time seventeen centuries ago (a few centuries after Christ). A kewl musical version of the Creed is here, concert version at Red Rocks here, and the actual points are here.

What does Tom Cruise have to do with this? Here’s my thought: Of all of his movies, in almost all of the most enduring and successful ones (Top Guns, Mission: Impossibles, Knight and Day, The Firm), three elements are present in the characters he’s playing: Immensely talented, deeply vulnerable or at risk of failing, and dramatically heroic. Off-screen, doesn’t that describe us? Especially, at least, when life is at its most fulfilling?

Many of us leaders are most alive when we’re aiming for lofty goals with our talents, skills and convictions; when we courageously approach real obstacles, real risks, real potential downsides; when we succeed with wins that weren’t lay-ups, we plant flags on high hills, and its often for the benefit of others as well as ourselves.

When Jesus came to earth, born on that first Christmas, he grew up to be the Savior who called others to Follow Him, to be learners, to aim high, to overcome obstacles, to life life to the fullest and be a blessing to others. We may not be flying fighter jets or doing espionage, and we may not be the most famous and in-shape movie star in the world (I know I ain’t that!), but we can benefit from The One who said “I came to give you life, abundant life.”

Okay aviators? Come take flight with me on this 12-day journey, and let’s enjoy a more inspiring and abundant Christmas season, wherever we are and however we celebrate. Schedule below will be filled in each day, I’ve given two hints. Hope to see you tomorrow, -Doug

Dec. 8 Twelve…Points of Belief.
Dec. 9 Eleven…
Dec. 10 Ten…
Dec. 11 Nine Fruits…
Dec. 12 Eight…
Dec. 13 Seven Gifts…
Dec. 14 Six…
Dec. 15 Five…
Dec. 16 Four Gospel Versions.
Dec. 17 Three Merry Marys.
Dec. 18 Two…
Dec. 19 One…