Faith and Hope’s First Christmas is the new Christmas Classic! Your family is sure to enjoy the fictional retelling of the very first Christmas gifted to the world through the virtues of faith and hope. Children the world over will fall in love with two beagle girl puppies, Faith and Hope, as they are sent forth on a perilous journey to help bring home to Bethlehem God’s only Son. Sent forth by a cherub angel from Heaven, Faith and Hope’s journey will help bring enlightenment to the world over as they learn their divine fate in this historic event.
In this searing meditation on the bonds of family and the allure of extremist faith, one of today’s most celebrated Christian writers recounts his unexpected journey from a strict fundamentalist upbringing to a life of compassion and grace—a revelatory memoir that “invites comparison to Hillbilly Elegy” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). “Searing, heartrending . . . This stunning tale reminds us that the only way to keep living is to ask God for the impossible: love, forgiveness, and hope.”—Kate Bowler, New York Times bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason Raised by an impoverished widow who earned room and board as a Bible teacher in 1950s Atlanta, Philip Yancey and his brother, Marshall, found ways to venture out beyond the confines of their eight-foot-wide trailer. But when Yancey was in college, he uncovered a shocking secret about his father’s death—a secret that began to illuminate the motivations that drove his mother to extreme, often hostile religious convictions and a belief that her sons had been ordained for a divine cause. Searching for answers, Yancey dives into his family origins, taking us on an evocative journey from the backwoods of the Bible Belt to the bustling streets of Philadelphia; from trailer parks to church sanctuaries; from family oddballs to fire-and-brimstone preachers and childhood awakenings through nature, music, and literature. In time, the weight of religious and family pressure sent both sons on opposite paths—one toward healing from the impact of what he calls a “toxic faith,” the other into a self-destructive spiral. Where the Light Fell is a gripping family narrative set against a turbulent time in post–World War II America, shaped by the collision of Southern fundamentalism with the mounting pressures of the civil rights movement and Sixties-era forces of social change. In piecing together his fragmented personal history and his search for redemption, Yancey gives testament to the enduring power of our hunger for truth and the possibility of faith rooted in grace instead of fear. “I truly believe this is the one book I was put on earth to write,” says Yancey. “So many of the strands from my childhood—racial hostility, political division, culture wars—have resurfaced in modern form. Looking back points me forward.”
In his warm, conversational style, James W. Moore helps readers reclaim the true meaning of Christmas by centering their thoughts on the greatest gift of all--God's gift of love in Jesus Christ. Moore reminds readers that the best Christmas gifts of all are freely given to them by God for them to pass on to others--the gifts of love, peace, joy, faith, forgiveness, kindness, time, appreciation and encouragement. Drawing upon the story of the first Christmas and heartwarming stories from our own time, Moore instills in readers that sharing God's love with others is what Christmas is all about.
Josefina, a brown china cow quietly sits upon the fireplace mantel in the small house of the woman who has loved and cared for her since Josefina arrived in a gift box, on Christmas long ago. Cat, a tiny ceramic Siamese feline, joins Josefina on the mantel one happy Christmas, some time later. Together, they observe the woman as she lovingly raises a family, watch the children grow up and move away, only to return at Christmas. Then one dark and snowy holiday season, no one comes. Not even the woman. What happens next will test not only the patience and endurance of the two friends, but their strength of heart and spirit.
Christmas is eagerly awaited by Lulu, a young girl living in a small Wisconsin town during the Great Depression. Anticipation is transformed into anxiety when Daddy loses his job, doubts about Santa flicker, and that Shirley Temple doll seems further away than ever. Mama reveals her own brutal Christmas as an orphan, adding new worries. But it's Lulu's deep faith and vibrant hope that keeps her looking forward to each new day and the glorious gift of Christmas. In her touching memoir, Ludmilla Bollow, an award-winning playwright and novelist, recounts the year before her family's toughest Christmas. There's a haunting encounter with freaks at a circus sideshow, the heartbreaking loss of the town's recluse who was committed to finding true love, a disastrous Thanksgiving at Grandma's, and, of course, the long-awaited Christmas! Lulu's spirit of love and joy radiates throughout this emotional recall of family life during hard times.
“Who could argue with the message the authors draw from the Bible’s Christmas stories? Light in the darkest time of the year, hope in a period of creeping despair—these are powerful and universal themes that can give everyone a stake in Christmas.” —USA Today In The First Christmas Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan—top Jesus scholars and authors of The Last Week—help us see the real Christmas story buried in the familiar Bible accounts. Basing their interpretations on the two nativity narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Borg and Crossan focus on the literal story—the inner truth rather than the historical facts—to offer a clear and uplifting message of hope and peace. With The First Christmas readers get a fresh, deep, and new understanding of the nativity story, enabling us to better appreciate the powerful message of the Gospels.
Faith, Hope & Reindeer - A heartwarming Christian fantasy that will have the reader laughing, crying with joy, and mesmerized in the land of Santa Claus and his helpers. The second book in The Santa Claus Trilogy is an inspirational story that puts a significant emphasis on the true meaning of Christmas and how the North Pole relates its events to the birth of Jesus. Everyone loses faith and hope from time to time. This is the story about good-hearted families who have done unselfish things in their lives but had life events go badly for them. They begin to lose confidence and belief in themselves. Santa invites them to the North Pole without them knowing what their actual final destination is. Once there, Santa restores their faith, hope, and trust with a booster shot of love and magic that will change their lives forever. Discussions with the Author What is The Santa Claus Trilogy? This is a three-part series that is a family read for everyone from preteen kids reading chapter books to the eldest great grand-parent. It answers a great many mysteries and legends about Santa Claus while entertaining the reader with imaginative fantasies and real events of the world. Is it only about Christmas? Faith, Hope & Reindeer is the second in The Santa Claus Trilogy and is the only book in the three that takes place entirely during Christmas. The other novels span the entire year (or years). Then again, a little Christmas throughout the year is not a bad thing, in my opinion. What is the order of the books? Believe Again, The North Pole Chronicles is the first book in the series. Faith, Hope & Reindeer is the second in the series. Glaciers Melt and Mountains Smoke is the third in the series. Also related: The Faces of Krampus, which is the story of Black Peter, the assistant to St. Nicholas. Aeon Millennium, The Time-Traveling Elf, is set to be released in Fall, 2018. Can readers get the whole series in one bundle? You may purchase The Santa Claus Trilogy as a collection containing all three books in the box set. So, why should readers give these books a try? Faith, Hope & Reindeer has been called “enchanting”, “heart-warming,” “inspirational”, and too many more great comments to list here. It has been referred to as a future “Hallmark Hall of Fame” movie because it evokes such warm and wonderful emotions. If you would like to experience genuine magic in your life, then you are invited to jump on board and discover a place you only dreamed of before. This is a wonderful addition for teachers and home schooling to add to their reading list.
Note: This dedication was written by the author and is her prayer for grandparents and grandchildren. I dedicate this poem to my granddaughter who observed her first Christmas at the age of two months, twenty-one days in 1961. As God has given the talent for writing, he also gave the gift for inspiration. A baby's sweet innocence is a precious reminder of another baby's first Christmas--the greatest birth ever to be recorded in history. My dear little baby, as you grow older, may your thinking never be distracted from the true meaning of Christmas. May the great gift of God's love be the reason for remembering always, that it is more blessed to give than to receive. May the light of his star have a divine attraction for you; then, you will never walk alone in darkness. Keep faith, my child, when you are confronted with obstacles and encounter life's problems, for with faith, hope, and trust, your life will become enriched with love for God, love for fellowman, and peace, happiness, and contentment will most surely abide with you. That is the sincere wish and ardent prayer of your devoted grandparent.
Who was in the manger that first Christmas morning? And how can we know for sure? In The Case for Christmas, award-winning legal journalist Lee Strobel tells us that somewhere beyond the traditions of the holiday lies the truth. Some say that newborn baby would become a great moral leader. Others, a social critic. Still others view Jesus as a profound philosopher, a rabbi, a feminist, a prophet, and more. Many are convinced he was the divine Son of God. But who was he really? Consulting experts on the Bible, archaeology, and messianic prophecy, Strobel searches out the true identity of the child in the manger, analyzing: Eyewitness Evidence--Can the biographies of Jesus be trusted? Scientific Evidence--What does archaeology reveal? Profile Evidence--Did Jesus fulfill the attributes of God? Fingerprint Evidence--Did Jesus uniquely match the identity of the Messiah? Join Strobel as he invites you to push past the distractions of the holiday season and come into the presence of the baby who was born to change your life and rewrite your eternal destination: the greatest gift of all.
There's something truly magical about Christmas. Filled with remarkable true stories of the kindness of strangers and the blessings of answered prayers, this collection with its small miracles truly captures the spirit of the season. These stories of hope, faith and joy are a moving tribute to the true meaning of Christmas and remind us all that the greatest gifts in life can't be gift wrapped.
