Showing titles in Holidays

Families will treasure this fresh perspective on the nativity for years to come. Song of the Stars, written by best-selling author Sally Lloyd-Jones, enhances Advent traditions and adds depth to Christmas Eve readings of the Christmas Story.

Scripture shares a basic story, from God's first creative act in the beginning to its final scene—the renewal of all creation as a new heaven and earth. Around the Bible in 80 Days offers you an accessible guide to the Bible's high points that can enrich your faith and help you better understand God's overall redemptive story. On this eighty-day excursion, join master teacher John Mark as he encourages you to reflect deeply on specific Scriptures and what they say about God's unfolding drama.

Christmas is a time of seasonal cheer, family get-togethers, holiday parties, and-gift giving. Lots and lots - and lots - of gift giving. It's hard to imagine any Christmas without this time-honored custom. But let's stop to consider the gifts we receive - the rooster sweater from Grandma or the singing fish from Uncle Mike. How many of us get gifts we like? How many of us give gifts not knowing what recipients want? Did your cousin really look excited about that jumping alarm clock?

In prayer we need to be deeply conscious that God is the almighty one, the supreme creator, the ruler of the Universe, that he is infinite and eternal; we need to know that God is the underlying, unchangeable truth, "with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning". God as principle is the absolute good expressed in all creation. When we know God and "worship him in spirit and truth" we recognize him as this great goodness, which is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, ready and willing to guide, to bless, and to uplift.

This unique collection includes four sermons by C.H. Spurgeon on Jesus and Christmas. The reading provides a beautiful and thoughtful devotional narrative for each week of Advent. All delivered originally in December by Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, the message and hope of Christmas shines clear and strong throughout each sermon. Dive into the rich fullness of the gospel and of Christ’s love for His children as eloquently expressed by the "Prince of Preachers."

In his first ever Christmas book, beloved pastor Dr. Charles Stanley takes us back to our truest and best reason for celebration - the birth of the Christ child. By revisiting the people and events of that first Christmas, Dr. Stanley reveals the unique lessons that long ago starry night offers to each of us still today.

Even though he's got 3.5 million copies of books in print, Pastor Robert Morgan writes only one short fiction story each year - an original work he shares with his church on Christmas Eve. Now with a fresh new cover and six new stories, the entire collection of 12 is available in this beautiful volume. Beginning is a foreword by David Jeremiah, followed by adventures that evoke the splendor and love found at the manger over 2000 years ago.

One of the many joys of Christmas comes from the traditions associated with it. Best-selling author Caroline Kennedy drew on her own family's traditions to create this charming collection of favorite stories, poems, and writings that celebrate the holiday spirit.

The subject of these stories ranges from saints to single mothers, from Depression-era childhoods and poverty to times of great peace and prosperity. Together they serve to remind us of the miracle, faith, transformation, and mystery that live in the spirit of Christmas.

For generations, churches and families have used Advent wreaths to help prepare for celebrating the Lord's birth at Christmas. The evergreen wreath symbolizes eternal life and includes four candles—typically three purple and one pink, with a white candle in the middle that symbolizes the purity of Christ. Various traditions assign different topics to each candle, and the candles are usually given names to remind us of the good news of Christ's birth.

Christmas is the world's biggest festival, yet we barely understand how we got here. Somewhere between Jesus, Dickens and Coke, Christmas became the beloved chaotic present-fest that it currently is. If it's a turkey, we should really stop stuffing it. So let's unwrap it instead....

A Chicago journalist finds himself in a small Texas town on Christmas Eve. Lonely and alone, he encounters old faces and new facts: a hand carved manger, a father's guilt, a young girl's faith. The trip into the past holds his key to the future, and a scarlet cross shows him the way home.

Part travel journal but mostly spiritual guide, Finding Jesus in Israel takes an unvarnished look at the Holy Land with an off-the-bus peek into the people and places that make Israel such an amazing destination. We are shaped and transformed by the oceans we sail, the deserts, mountains, and valleys we wander, and the people we meet along the way. And as any traveler worth his salt knows, the real trip happens within.

Now more than ever, people are seeking a reprieve from the constant pressure to achieve, produce, and consume. While many turn to mindfulness and meditation, organizational change expert Marilyn Paul, PhD, offers a complementary solution that is as radical as it is ancient.

Deftly combining his Santa persona with his passion for God, Butchart reveals himself as a once-hardened Marine who found Jesus and began to serve others in unusual ways. Listeners will be enthralled by Santa's day job refurbishing medical equipment for the disabled, to the sweetest of secrets written in letters, to the story of how he found "Mrs. Claus". Woven throughout is a faith and a joy of giving that energizes Butchart's mission to spread love to all kinds of children and adults.

During the holidays, so many of us can suffer for all kinds of reasons. More and more churches are acknowledging this fact with "Blue Christmas" services (also called "Longest Night" services) and offering resources to give particular support and comfort to those struggling during the "most wonderful time of the year". In A Weary World, Escobar provides 28 daily reflections paired with prayers and practices to honor our struggles during the holidays. Weekly resources make this Advent devotional suitable for group study as well.

The New Testament begins not with a dramatic narrative or lofty poetry but with a genealogy. Provocatively, Matthew's Gospel includes women in Jesus' family line - something that wasn't customary in an ancient culture, where women were largely powerless and uninfluential. In this surprising take on the Christmas story, Tim Keller reveals how, by focusing on the women in Jesus' birth narratives, a colourful, scandalous and refreshing tale of grace emerges.

Music has always been central to celebrating the coming of Christ into the world. With Hosanna in Excelsis you can experience the hymns of the season like never before. This devotional couples the lyrics and score of a new hymn daily with a devotional message about the hymn’s biblical and spiritual truths. You’ll find hymns of advent like “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” that anticipate the coming of Christ, hymns of Nativity like “O Little Town of Bethlehem” that celebrate His birth, and more.

Pentecost may well be the most misconstrued day on the church calendar. A long legacy of cessationism has drained Pentecost of much of its significance, and it's largely misunderstood in many Western churches today, if not outright ignored. That's not the case in Emilio Alvarez's tradition, though. In this Fullness of Time volume, the Pentecostal bishop and theologian offers us a rich biblical and theological introduction to the day of Pentecost and sets it in its liturgical context.

Christmas in Idaho is an inspirational story for adult listeners that the whole family will love. Enjoy the sounds and wonder of Christmas alongside Idaho, a snowman who is experiencing Christmas for the first time…just as he discovers that time is running out. Let the musical score surround you with Christmas carols and classical music pieces. Enjoy the special effect sounds that transport you where the action is taking place. You will find Christmas here.