Showing titles in Holidays

Speaking at a day of prayer, Richard Rohr says, “Advent is not about a sentimental waiting for the baby Jesus.” He asks listeners to focus expectations and anticipation on “the adult Christ, the cosmic Christ,” the Lord who challenges us to empty ourselves, to lose ourselves, to surrender. This is the Jesus whom we invite to come into our hearts at Christmas and throughout our lives.

It's the Christmas season and storefront displays, twinkling Christmas trees, and busy shoppers liven up Main Street as Park Place, South Carolina, prepares for its most exciting season of the year. But not everyone in town is celebrating. Maria drifts into Park Place trying to escape an abusive husband. Broken in body and spirit, at first her goal is just to survive and protect the baby she's carrying, but as she's slowly introduced to the good people of this small Southern town, she comes to believe that kindness and compassion can lead her out of the darkness of her former life.

Are you ready to have your best Christmas EVER? That sounds easy, right? Having a great Christmas is harder than you might think, and it’s much easier to ruin your Christmas instead. We often get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, spending time on things that aren’t a priority. Before we know it, our high expectations aren’t reached and we think to ourselves, “Maybe next year.” Don’t let this year end that way! Learn how to prioritize what actually matters with Best Christmas Ever.

Celebrate the hope of Christmas as you witness how God has written the promise of Immanuel, "God with us," into human history! Awaiting the Manger journeys with you through the Advent season, illuminating how God used the lives of ordinary people to foreshadow Christ's coming during the centuries and even millennia before his birth.

Of all the seasons of the church calendar, Christmas is the one most recognized and celebrated by our society at large. That means it's the season we're most familiar with—but that can also make it harder to see past Christmas's many cultural trappings to its timeless beauty, In this short volume, priest and theologian Emily Hunter McGowin invites us into the church's celebration of that great exchange, in all its theological and liturgical splendor.

Journey with Adam Hamilton as he travels from Nazareth to Bethlehem in this fascinating look at the birth of Jesus Christ. As he did with Jesus' crucifixion in 24 Hours That Changed the World, Hamilton once again approaches a world-changing event with thoughtfulness. Using historical information, archaeological data, and a personal look at some of the stories surrounding the birth, the most amazing moment in history will become more real and heartfelt as you walk along this road.

At Christmastime we remember that an ordinary, young, poor, oppressed woman was chosen to play a significant and breakthrough role in the redemption of the world. It is no mistake that a woman gets to be a part of all this, and that her voice, her questions, her fears, and her actions matter.

Holly is looking for a change, and, even though not everyone agrees with her career choices, she’s determined there’s more to this life than the long hours she works as an editor in New York City. What she doesn’t expect is to meet Mitch, a recluse who’s hiding more than she realizes. Mitch spends his days hidden away in a little log cabin in the woods out in Inglenook Falls where he owns a Christmas-tree farm. He speaks to people only when and if it’s necessary, so when Holly falls into his life, he’s not sure how to react.

The Ancient Origins of Modern Holidays draws from the Bible and Jewish sources on what has always been defined as paganism and idolatry. In this book, we learn which holiday practices are forbidden and which ones are not. The Dead Sea Scrolls record the origins of the festivals celebrated on the equinoxes and solstices and reveal why they are important for Christians today. Using these sources, Christians can easily draw the line on practices and celebrations. We learn how to nullify paganism and take back what God gave us, so we can be obedient to His commands.

When his mom decided it was time for them to leave for good, Thomas knew they better get far away or he'd come and find them. It was Christmas Day, with Mom sweating in a tiny room over a tiny stove, and Dad watching college basketball and drinking with a vengeance. "Thomas, I want you to get your sister and go out to the car, okay?" Mom had promised them that they would be getting a special Christmas present today. Just the two kids. They couldn’t mention it to Dad. This is her present, Thomas thought....

In her 2016 best-seller, A Heart Without A Home, Nichole Carpenter told of her experience living on the streets while her parents battled homelessness and heroin addiction. In this sequel, Nichole and her mother, Madge, continue their story... At the age of 9, Nichole was ripped from her mother's arms as they were each taken away in separate police cars. Nichole to the state children's home and her parents to the city jail. Over the next 3 years her mother would battle between her addiction and her love for her daughter. Only through the power of God's Spirit and the love of their family ...

Childhood rivals, now strangers, collide in a merry mix-up. Fifteen years ago, Rachel Joy and Holden Hart planted more than just trees; they sowed the seeds of a legendary holiday feud in Snowdrift Summit. Today, those evergreens stand tall, vying for the coveted spot in the annual tree lighting ceremony. Though Rachel traded small-town life for a San Francisco career, she’s not about to let Holden’s noble fir steal the limelight without a spirited showdown. With her bags packed, she returns home, but the surprise awaiting her might not only challenge her determination but also her ...

As winter comes and the hours of darkness overtake the light, we seek out warmth, good food, and good company. But beneath the jollity and bright enchantment of the festive season, there lurks a darker mood - one that has found expression over the centuries in a host of strange and unsettling traditions and lore. Here, Sarah Clegg takes us on a journey through midwinter to explore the lesser-known Christmas traditions.

Anticipate, celebrate, and marvel at Jesus' birth with Three Wise Women, a richly researched and faith-building new devotional by Dandi Daley Mackall. You are invited to spend the 40 days of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany in the company of Mary the mother of Jesus, Elizabeth the mother of John the Baptist, and Anna the prophetess at the temple in Jerusalem.

In Uncovering the Love of Jesus, Asheritah Ciuciu invites you to reclaim the Lenten season with 40 devotionals that reveal the deep love of Jesus that's exhibited at the cross and tomb. Each daily reflection looks at Jesus’ personal interactions in Scripture and leads you in meditation on a new aspect of his love. Don’t let Easter pass by this year. Reflect, engage, and be transformed as you uncover the love of Jesus and learn to love your neighbor as he would. The audiobook also includes optional family activities to help you celebrate Jesus together.

The Carols of Christmas Volume 2 is a collection of devotionals based on beloved carols that will inspire listeners to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. In this 28-day devotional journey, you will experience a fresh take on familiar melodies with personal reflections to guide you.

Our daughter orchestrates a parent trap, hoping for a Christmas miracle. He’s my first love, my husband, my heartbreak. Jimmy's salt-and-pepper hair and rugged face still make my knees go weak. But memories of the fire that broke our marriage burn between us like dying embers. The imminent birth of our first grandchild and the resurrection of my parents' bakery brings us back together. Now, we're snowed in at Evergreen Inn, and forced to confront our past. As we frost cookies side by side, old flames threaten to reignite. This Christmas reunion could save our family's legacy or destroy it...

Each Christmas, adults and children alike delight at the story of the kings from the East who followed the star to Bethlehem to offer gifts to the newborn Christ. While this familiar tale is recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, another little-known version later emerged that claimed to be the eyewitness account of the wise men. This ancient manuscript has lain hidden for centuries in the vaults of the Vatican Library, but through the determined persistence of a young scholar, Brent Landau, this astonishing discovery has been translated into English for the very first time as the Revelation of the Magi.

A man receives an invitation from his elderly, ailing aunt and doesn't want to go. It's the midst of the Christmas rush, and who needs the aggravation? The depression? The strain? Driven by guilt, he visits her anyway - and rediscovers the true meaning of Christmas.

With magical pen in hand, C.S. Lewis crafted a beautiful tale filled with mystical places, talking animals, and fierce battles in a land called Narnia. Lewis wrote, "The whole story of Narnia is the story about Christ. I asked myself: supposing that there really was a world like Narnia and supposing it had (like our world) gone wrong, and supposing Christ wanted to go into that world and save it. What might have happened? The stories are my answers." In this booklet, Stephen explores the wonderful world of Narnia. The stories of C.S. Lewis are interwoven with biblical themes and spiritual ...