Sunday, February 28, 2010

Preparing My Heart for Advent (Paperback)

Preparing My Heart for Advent
Preparing My Heart for Advent (Paperback)
By Ann Marie Stewart

Buy new: $4.97
 Customer Rating: 4.8
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 Related tags: advent

Review & Description

Preparing My Heart for Advent challenges women to immerse themselves in Scriptures during the Christmas season so that they are more likely to keep Christ in Christmas rather than becoming entangled by the obligations and commercialism of the holiday season. Preparing My Heart for Advent accomplishes its purpose with a two-fold thrust, serving as both a seasonal Bible study and devotional. Each day of the November studies corresponds to a December devotional reading on the same topic. For example, readers will study Joseph on November 10th only to refresh their learning on this topic with a devotional on December 10th.
Each week in the November Bible study portion offers thoughts for meditation and reflection. Spiritual significance is offered for common Christmas imagery, and the historical background of familiar carols is explained in detail. Suggestions are given with practical application for reaching out to others with the Christmas story.
The December devotionals aim to keep readers in the Word of God during the busiest season of the year, celebrating and reflecting in a way that reinforces their studies in November.
In the author s words, Preparing My Heart for Advent will encourage readers to stop, look, listen, and experience Immanuel God with us wherever we are. Put on a familiar carol, pour a cup of peppermint tea, and settle into a reflective look at a birth unlike any other. Read more


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Saturday, February 20, 2010

The Nativity Story (DVD)

The Nativity Story
The Nativity Story (DVD)
By Keisha Castle-Hughes

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 Customer Rating: 4.5
Related tags: christianity(102), christian movie(87), inspirational(56), family film(53), bible(40), uplifting(31), faith(26), christmas(25), truth(19), nativity(13), religion(6), jesus(6)

Review & Description

It was the cruelest of times. Under Herod's torturous reign, families struggled to survive and yet, in the midst of utter turmoil, a young woman's faith is put to the test. Join Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Joseph (Oscar Isaac) on an incredible journey of hope and discovery. Epic in its scope, yet intimate in it's portrayal of this historical family, this "wonderful film" (Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun Times) is "a family feature that will be cherished for years to come!" (Greg Russell, WMYD-TV, Detroit). The Nativity Story is a remarkable, if frustratingly restrained, act of imagining the tale of Christ's birth as a flesh-and-blood drama actually set in Israel two millenia ago. Written by Mike Rich (Finding Forrester) and directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen), the film makes very strong impressions in a scene-by-scene way. Beginning with the slaughter (bloodlessly portrayed; this is a PG movie) of Bethlehem’s innocents under orders from a paranoid King Herod (a dark and knowing Ciarán Hinds), the film then jumps back a year to the prophecy that informs Zechariah (Stanley Townsend) that his wife, Elizabeth (Shohreh Aghdashloo), will bear a child. Meanwhile, Elizabeth's cousin, the adolescent Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes), struggles with her family to make ends meet and is promised to the carpenter Joseph (Oscar Isaac). Soon comes word to Mary, via an angel, that she will carry, while still a virgin, the long-awaited Messiah who will liberate the Jews from Herod and his Roman benefactors. Thus begins a detailed account of Joseph and Mary's hard travel to Bethlehem, while three Magi spend months crossing the desert trying to rendezvous with some point below the convergence of three heavenly bodies in the night sky. Hardwicke and Rich anchor all this in period detail, though what proves most moving are relationship nuances, especially the friendship and trust that emerge between Mary and Joseph after he is told in a dream that she speaks truthfully about her miraculous pregnancy. While The Nativity Story should appeal to almost anyone as a straightforward narrative, it is far from a secular version of the familiar Biblical tale, and thus feels a bit stifled. It might have been nice if the film could have breathed a little more with imagination, but The Nativity Story makes up for it by ingeniously weaving hints of things to come, later in Christ's life, into the action. --Tom Keogh Read more


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Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The Adventure of Christmas: Helping Children Find Jesus in Our Holiday Traditions (Hardcover)

The Adventure of Christmas: Helping Children Find Jesus in Our Holiday Traditions
The Adventure of Christmas: Helping Children Find Jesus in Our Holiday Traditions (Hardcover)
By Lisa Whelchel

Review & Description



The ADVENTure of Christmas is a guide for moms concerned that their children are losing sight of Jesus in the midst of the distractions the holiday season brings. Lisa Whelchel was such a mom, but instead of abandoning the traditions of Christmas she rediscovered their original meanings, which were intended to remind people of God’s unfathomable gift. Hanging lights on the house, wrapping gifts, and decorating the tree have become opportunities to teach her children about how they relate to Jesus’ birth. With The ADVENTure of Christmas, mothers can redeem what’s been lost from the very symbols that are gentle reminders of the true meaning of Christmas.

Have you discovered that Jesus sometimes gets lost in the middle of the hustle and bustle of His birthday party? Would you like to be able to keep your children's focus on Jesus and also join them in the wonder of the celebration?

For each of the twenty-four days preceding Christmas, The ADVENTure of Christmas serves as a fun and handy guide that describes the significance behind your favorite traditions. Hanging lights on the house, wrapping gifts, and decorating the tree will become opportunities to share how these customs relate to Jesus' birth. The ADVENTure of Christmas recaptures the true meaning of this beloved season, giving reasons to celebrate for years to come.

Story Behind the Book

Feeling like Jesus had gotten lost in the frenzy of the holiday season, I asked the Lord to show me what I could do to teach my children the true meaning of Christmas. I was caught off-guard when He simply replied, "Don’t do anything differently. Look in the middle of the celebration and you will find Me." He was right. There was no need to orchestrate moments to pontificate about "the commercialization of Christmas." Instead, Jesus is beckoning us to come to the party and bring the kids. In doing so, we run into Him at the mall, the movies, even at school. He hides in the lights, the carols, and the cards. He is there when we dress the evergreen tree, when Dad dresses up in a red suit, and even when we eat turkey and dressing! Read more


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Monday, February 1, 2010

Light to the Darkness: Lessons and Carols, Public and Private (Paperback)

Light to the Darkness: Lessons and Carols, Public and Private
Light to the Darkness: Lessons and Carols, Public and Private (Paperback)
By Katerina Katsarka Whitley

Review & Description

Light to the Darkness is a fresh interpretation of the well-loved Advent tradition of Lessons and Carols. Replacing the usual scriptural readings from the Old and New Testaments are first-person dramatic monologues based on these and other passages of scripture. Special emphasis is given to the role of the prophets, pointing the way to the Messiah and offering guidance to the Hebrew people, while providing very contemporary guidance for the 21st-century.
With a reading for each day of Advent, churches can choose pieces for their services of Lessons and Carols, while individuals can use the book for private devotions. Suggested music for these services is also included, encompassing a broad range of selections to accommodate parishes needs and abilities. Read more


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Redeeming the Season: Simple Ideas for a Memorable and Meaningful Christmas (Focus on the Family Resources) (Paperback)

Redeeming the Season: Simple Ideas for a Memorable and Meaningful Christmas (Focus on the Family Resources)
Redeeming the Season: Simple Ideas for a Memorable and Meaningful Christmas (Focus on the Family Resources) (Paperback)
By Kim Wier

Review & Description

If you've ever vowed, "This Christmas will be different," here's how to make sure this year really will be. Does the holiday season bring thoughts of "peace on earth" and celebrating Christ's birth, or does it bring a sense of dread with too much to do and too much to pay for? Redeeming the Season: Simple Ideas for a Memorable and Meaningful Christmas offers refreshing, realistic ways to reclaim the spiritual significance of Christmas. This book offers ideas that are sane, simple, and original. Read more


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