Julie Arduini's Blog, page 17

The Year of the Concert

2022. Well, you were better than 2021. I barely remember 2021 it was so full of trauma and grief. It truly had no where to go but up.

There were milestones, good ones.

We had a high school graduation.

Then a wedding.

Our kids are adults now. The younger set I gave birth to are now out in the real world teaching at the school they graduated from or are in college killing it.

When I think of 2022, one theme comes up.

Concerts.

I’m not really a concert person. As an introvert, packing me into a venue full of people and then releasing us all at once to drive out limited places with no boundaries isn’t fun for me. But I couldn’t resist when I saw Scotty McCreery was going to be 30 minutes away. So I went, and it was great. Amazing seats.

Then our daughter recalled my promise where I said if Big Time Rush ever went on tour and played nearby, I’d take her. The show was over, they were doing their own thing. I figured never would it happen. Until they announced their reunion tour and played nearby. We went, and it was honestly amazing. Great seats. The best pictures I probably took all year. To watch her light up, I could relate. I loved a boy band back in the day.

Then I was gifted tickets to Elton John. It was a bittersweet thing because I wanted to see the person with the tickets as we were going to meet that weekend. I was able to go with my sister, one of my BFF’s from college, and my nephew, his first concert. Not too shabby to see a legend like Sir Elton. It was a wonderful experience because I knew I was watching history.

I also released a book this year. I wish I were an author that could crank out multiple books a year, but clearly that’s not God’s plan for me. As long as Anchored Hearts took, I am so proud of that book. It’s the first in a new series about sextuplets as they find their own identity and try to find a love like their parents shared. Jordyn’s story in Anchored Hearts was about surrendering control. When I tell you the author goes on the journey first, boy is that true. I nearly broke as I tried to keep control over the last two years. My grief, trauma and healing poured into Anchored Hearts. If you haven’t checked it out, I hope you do.

2022 was also about curly hair and growing it out. Saying goodbye to Ginger the cat and hello to Milo the beagle. There was working in teen ministry and attending a rage room with dear friends. There was a trip with my husband where we traveled to the Thousand Islands and to the Adirondack Mountains as a belated 25th anniversary.

I can’t say the year was full of laughter, but it wasn’t teary. A lot of asking God why, and when. I am a justice girl and there is so much injustice going on globally. It really bothers me and I believe we are at the cusp of an awakening where consequences come and the righteous rise up.

That’s 2022 to me.

How about you?

The Message of Jesus by Patti Shene Gonzales

THE MESSAGE OF JESUSI

It was exciting this year to realize a lifelong dream by publishing my first book. No, it will never reach the New York Times best seller list. It will probably never win a contest, but the presence of it on Amazon symbolizes a great accomplishment for me.

Cathy’s Christmas Confession is a short novella, part of the multi author Christmas Ridge Romance series. Right now, it is available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited with plans for print availability next year.

I don’t expect many readers to go hunting for a Christmas story after December 25th. However, Cathy’s Christmas Confession carries a message of hope for the hurting, and people hurt all year long.

My main characters have both experienced the loss of a spouse. When Cathy senses a call to help David, an acquaintance from church, deal with his grief, her eyes are opened to a world that needs to hear about Jesus.

Together, as they strive to bring Christmas joy to others, Cathy and David’s relationship grows, along with a deeper understanding of their need for the Savior.

We can heal our own wounds by touching the lives of others with comfort, compassion, and kindness.

The holiday season may be drawing to a close, but the Christmas message of Jesus’s love for us is immortalized by our love for each other throughout the new year.

Blurb for Cathy’s Christmas Confession:

Christmas is not a time of joy for the hurting.

During a snowstorm, widow Cathy Fischer creams a stop sign on her way to work at the Christmas Ridge Community Church. Acquaintance David Martin stops to help. Cathy sees signs of deep grief in David, a recent widower. She reaches out with support in an attempt to help David through this most difficult first Christmas without his beloved wife.

David Martin struggles with grief over the death of his wife. He blames God for her rapid demise after her cancer diagnosis. Cathy reaches out to him with compassion and support and soon enlists him in her mission to bring joy to others at Christmas. Will their joint quest restore David’s faith?

David needs to turn loose of the past and embrace his future. Cathy has a confession to make to the entire community that may give David a different perspective of who she really is. Will her confession set her free?

Does God have plans in mind for the two of them they did not anticipate?

Cathy’s Christmas Confession: A Christmas Ridge Romance Book 3 buy link (https://tinyurl.com/mr26ekaj)

Available on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited

Check out our Amazon Christmas Ridge Romance page (https://tinyurl.com/57vzm3fw) to learn about other books in the series and receive updates!

Twitter                                    https://twitter.com/PattiShene

BIO:

Patti Shene Gonzales hosts Step Into the Light, a weekly interview style podcast, where guests share their journey out of darkness or ways they lead others back to light. She hosts writers on her two blogs, Patti’s Porch and The Over 50 Writer. Patti is published in two anthologies and local publications and has three novels in progress. She enjoys writing, reading, critiquing, and spending time with family and friends. Patti lives in Colorado with her devoted feline companion, Duncan. Cathy’s Christmas Confession is her first novella.

Visit Patti at her website         www.pattishene.com

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The Underground Book Readers: The Secret Society by Terry Overton

n a recent interview with local public school and community librarians, I was slapped into the reality that our children and youth not only are discouraged from reading the classics we all knew and loved growing up, but in fact in some locations, these books are banned. Yet, on the other hand, many new books are now promoted by communities and schools that embarrass me with their lude content or reckless values. Following these discussions, I set out to write this new series. This is my first dystopian work and is geared for middle grade readers (pre-teens) as well as teens, young adults, and adults.

 This week I am excited to announce the release of “The Underground Book Readers: The Secret Society,” book 1 of the new series. This series is written to appeal to middle grade readers, teens, and adults, who may not be avid readers and who may not realize the literary world has markedly changed over the years. In addition to exposing the reader to the classics like Huckleberry Finn and Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, readers are provided with Scripture as the teens in the book go to their secret church. Later, the teens discover a box of forbidden documents, including the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence. The decide to study these documents to learn about the past and how they might make the future better.

Perhaps typical teens would not be interested in these topics if the book was focused on these documents in the manner of a history, government, or Sunday School Class. The topics are therefore couched in a dystopian world where such books and documents are forbidden and anyone reading such material is imprisoned or worse. The fact that the documents and books are prohibited causes the characters to be even more curious about what is contained within each one.

Here is the Introduction:

“The world was not ready for what happened. And in the mountains and valleys of Virginia, a group of young friends wondered what to do in this different world. Their parents and older siblings were taken away, or “disappeared,” and have not been seen since that fateful day. Schools were destroyed, churches burned, and books banned. There was no fuel or electricity available for the anyone. Cars and other vehicles no longer worked and were found abandoned beside the roads rusting and in disrepair. Only the World Force military had fuel and vehicles.

The discovery of books, documents, tools, clues, and other teens hiding in the countryside, brought hope to group of friends who met daily deep in the cavern. Follow their journey of hope and adventure through the series: The Underground Book Readers.”

****

This past summer I traveled to the locations where the series begins. The teens in the book hide in a secret cavern near the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah Valley. My travels took me through the mountains, valleys, and deep into the crevices of an underground cavern (Dixie Caverns). What better place to hide forbidden books?

This ever watchful group of friends meet in an underground cavern in the mountains of Virginia. Rumors of spies, enemy soldiers, and the remote possibility of finding their parents, keep these friends searching to make a better life for everyone. As the series progresses, the teens will make new discoveries, find other teens hiding, and will join forces. Stay tuned to the exciting adventures of strength, faith, and friendship of the members of the Underground Book Readers: The Secret Society.

You can also buy this in paperback, and it will arrive before Christmas.

Bio:

Terry Overton obtained her Ph.D. in Psychology and her Ed. D. in special education. She taught in public schools and was a school psychologist and a professor before retiring in 2016. She began her second “career” after retirement writing Christian fiction books and devotionals. She hopes to share the Christian worldview through her writing and touch the lives of her readers. Her novels, middle grade readers, and picture books seek to entertain readers through the travel experiences and characters included in her books. Her books have earned Bookfest Awards, Firebird Award Winner, American Writing Award Gold, International Finalist Book Award, Reader Views Awards, Reader’s Favorite Awards and the Mom’s Choice Award. She currently resides in Laguna Vista, Texas, near the Texas-Mexico border. She enjoys Biblical history and general Bible studies, writing, and enjoying family and friends. She has seven grandchildren and one great granddaughter.

Embracing Christmas Traditions

Embracing Christmas Traditions

               

As a child, each Sunday we could count on roast beef for dinner. If we’d lost all calendars and had no idea what day it was, seeing roast beef on the table would give us a clue it was at least Sunday. Honestly, because it was so predictable, I made fun of it.

                Until I moved to a dorm and my family Sunday dinner was whatever I found in the dining hall.

                It was then I started to understand the importance of traditions. As a young adult I no longer complained about a Christmas Eve present, a tradition, and knew it was going to be pajamas. Once I married, we’d add attending Christmas Eve service before opening that present. On Christmas morning we’d read Luke 2 before opening presents. Christmas dinner would be at my childhood home, where there would be a ham dinner. Once I got pregnant and violently ill thanks to the spiral ham, the tradition forward was turkey.

                Fast forward and our two children are young adults. One is married and about to experience his first Christmas away from home and with his new traditions. Both my parents and my in-laws are gone. The moments I reflect on those past Christmas seasons I realize it is the traditions I hold close.

                Some traditions might seem silly like the one my sister, a teacher, created “reindeer food” outside Christmas Eve with my kids. When her son came along, we added him to the process. I still remember his glee when he’d go outside and find the glittery concoction had been touched. Even at 23 and 19, last year my kids headed out to help spread the food. It’s a fond memory for both of them.

                There are also traditions that probably only our family invested in. My parents worked hard, but like most families in the 70’s and 80’s, from paycheck to paycheck. Mom did a lot of her shopping after Christmas because it was affordable. One gift she stumbled upon was a vendor at the mall who created a “blue ice village.” Each year I would receive a piece. I was excited to showcase each piece under the tree. To this day, that village goes under my tree. Mom etched each piece with the year she gave it to me. That village means the world to me not for the unique look, but because it came from my mom.

                Last year was our first Christmas without a parent. Our boxes were surrounded by memories and traditions I now see I took for granted. I assumed those things would always be there, just like my parents would. The reality is they are gone, and if I don’t pick up the traditions, they die too.

                We decided to keep mom’s traditions but added one. Instead of opening a Christmas Eve present, we chose something with a humorous side to help us through our grief. We drew names among the kids, my sister, and myself and chose a white elephant gift. Once unwrapped our tokens included a large glittery rubber duck to a calendar of dogs doing their business. If we keep that game up, it will be a fun tradition that I’ll cherish as one that got us through a rather bleak time.

                If you’re facing a Christmas full of traditions that don’t make sense to you, or seems too costly in time or finances, ask God to help you see the interaction as He does. For me, a lot of what I thought was boring and predictable when I was younger was in reality tangible moments with my family I’ll never get back. Those traditions became precious memories, and that’s what I’m left with. There’s nothing in a store that could equal the value of those Christmas times.

                What are some of your Christmas traditions? What do you think of them?

The Nativity by Dianne Marie Andre

The Nativity

Mary, mother of Jesus. My heart can barely grasp what an extraordinary woman she must have been to be chosen the mother of the world’s Savior. I imagine her perfect, without sin. Though this is unlikely, God blessed her above all women. Yet His path for Mary wasn’t easy. To avoid disgrace as an unwed mother, God instructed her fiancée to marry her and to travel together from Nazareth to safety in Bethlehem.

The young couple trekked on unpaved trails for four days along flatlands and over hills, possibly in freezing temperatures. When they reached Bethlehem, no doubt weary, they had to settle for a cave—used to house animals—in which to rest where Mary gave birth.

The least desired place for a birthing mother became the most honored and beloved story of all time. The young couple listened to God, trusted, obeyed, and persevered. Hard as it was—which many of us can’t comprehend just how difficult—God provided for them along the way and when they reached their destination.

I wonder if the world silenced to hear the first cry of the King. If an unidentified light glowed in the dim cave the moment Jesus entered the world. If the waters rested and the winds ceased. Luke 2:13-14 tells us after shepherds in Bethlehem were told of Jesus’ birth, the angels sang. We will never know the full magnificence of all that took place during the nativity.

What an honor it is to have included the nativity in my novel Dress Shop Miracles. It’s one of my favorite scenes as my characters traveled from a difficult path to hope, love, and miracles. I hope you love the story of Molly and Ted as much as I did writing it, and guess what?

I’m giving away one e-book copy of Dress Shop Miracles via Amazon Kindle.

To qualify for the drawing simply: 1) subscribe to my website at diannmarieandre.com; 2) then comment below this article (at my website) that you subscribed via Christmas Blog Tour. The winner will be announced December 24, 2022.

You can read the blurb here: https://www.amazon.com/Dress-Miracles-Dianne-Marie-Andre-ebook/dp/B0BH1CVXYK/ref=sr_1_1?

I hope you’ll take a moment to enjoy a video with my 52-year-old nativity set honoring the birth of Christ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao9h2lbQTgw

Merry Christmas,

Dianne Marie Andre

Bio:

In addition to writing Christian fiction, Dianne is currently working on a memoir. She is a landscape photographer. Most of her pictures are taken on twenty acres where she lives in California’s Central Valley with her husband, Joe, her adorable rescue dog, Ralphie, occasional steers, hens, sheep, and a bazillion trees. You can connect with her at https://diannemarieandre.com/5039-2/ 

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Ten Ways to Display Kindness During the Holidays by Jennifer Hallmark

Ten Ways to Display Kindness During the Holidays

By Jennifer Hallmark

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” –Aesop

The holidays have arrived, dressed in glitter, bearing the aroma of pumpkin, cinnamon, and pine. Traffic has jammed around malls and supercenters. And who can forget the increase of events? Parties, special church services, and family gatherings, to name a few.

A time of joy, laughter, and togetherness.

But not for all.

During this time of pandemic illnesses, high inflation, and families uprooted from their homes due to job changes and fresh starts, people are lonely. Unsettled. Depressed.

Crying out for relief.

What can we do? Is there a way, as individuals, churches, or civic groups, that we can help?

Yes! We can make a difference in our community, state, nation, and world. From small acts of kindness to large charitable undertakings, everyone can do something. We just have to start. Over the years, I’ve had the blessing of participating in “good deeds” to make the holidays brighter for someone in need. Here are some ideas that you, as an individual, or your group can look into:

Individual:

Send Christmas cards. Who doesn’t enjoy receiving a cheerful card in the mail?Make a phone call. Brighten someone’s day with the sound of your voice.Bake or create a gift. People enjoy homemade presents.Deliver packages of socks to a nursing home or homeless shelter. An often-requested item.Smile while you shop. You never know what people are going through and what a smile might mean.

Church or Civic Group

Invite the community to a holiday dinner. Look for people new to the area or who might be struggling and extend a personal invitation.Participate in an event to help children. Send shoe boxes of gifts (Samaritan’s Purse), backpacks of food and school supplies (Baptist Christmas Backpack Ministry), or pick a child from an Angel Tree (Salvation Army). For local outreach, check with your community’s child welfare services.Sponsor a drive-through or walk-through nativity scene or Christmas event. Offer fun games, photo opportunities, and free hot cocoa and provide a safe place for people new to the community to enjoy the holidays.Host a food drive for your local food bank or for specific needy families in your area.Create gift baskets for the elderly, those hospitalized during the holidays, and/or the military.

Whether you share a card, phone call, visit, homemade gift, or smile, you can make a lonely person feel loved and accepted during this special time of year. The blessing you receive in return will be worth it all.

What do you plan to do to make the Christmas season more meaningful? I’d love to know!

Gifts for you: How would you like to receive ten of my favorite cake and cookie recipes, read the first chapter of my debut novel, Jessie’s Hope, and sign up for my newsletter, all for free? Here’s the page with all the information. Thanks!

Jennifer Hallmark writes Southern fiction off the beaten track and her website focuses on her books, love of the South, and the unexpected in stories. Jessie’s Hope, her debut novel published by Firefly Southern Fiction, was a 2019 Selah Award nominee. She also hosts a podcast on persevering during chaotic times, “Determined to Dance,” and is a mentor with Word Weavers International.

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It Came Upon a Midnight Clear by Diana Leagh Matthews

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

by Diana Leagh Matthews

After more than seven years of giving of myself and going above and beyond in serving my residents at the nursing home, I found myself experiencing extreme burnout and fatigue.

Rev. Edward Hamilton Sears struggled with his own breakdown and melancholy in the 1840s.

He struggled with the dark world, “full of sin and strife” and not “hearing the Christian message.”  This inspired him to write a five-stanza poem, first published in 1849, that he had worked on for over a decade.

The lyrics were set to the tune “Carol” written by Richard Starrs Willis, a student of Felix Mendelssohn. Today we know this carol as “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.”

The song comes from the story of the angels appearing to the shepherds in Luke 2:14. The angels spoke of “Peace on the Earth, good will to men.”

“It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” is considered to be the first Christmas carol composed in the United States and published in the same decade as the resounding Dicken’s classic “A Christmas Carol”.

The song reminds me of the 1984 movie, with the same title as the hymn, and starring Mickey Rooney.  Rooney plays a retired cop, who has a heart attack, and dies.  However, he’s allowed one week to return to earth and show his grandson the seasonal glories of Christmas.

Christmas is one of the busiest times of the years for many of us.  Sometimes we feel as if we’re in survival mode instead of slowing down and savoring the season. For years, this is exactly how I felt. I had so much to do for work, that my personal Christmas shopping and plans, had to be completed by Thanksgiving in order to stay sane.

During those seven years of serving in the nursing home, I was responsible for planning and implementing Christmas for 120 residents. Fund-raising occurred year-round and major planning began around Labor Day.  During the Christmas season, there were cookies with Santa, an outing to look at Christmas lights, Santa’s workshop, countdown activities, sing-a-longs, two Christmas parties for residents (we didn’t have enough space for one party) and a party for the staff.

These activities required considerable planning and preparation.  From having youth groups help us put up and decorate twenty-five trees (from a 12-foot tree to the three fiber optic trees on each nurse’s station) to purchasing and wrapping presents for each resident, to accepting and handing out donated blankets and stocking stuffers.

This year I’ve transitioned to another position within healthcare and am looking forward to having time to savor the season. To slow down and find some new traditions that can be enjoyed and savored. To have time to reflect on the true meaning of the season—the birth of Jesus Christ. To search for that peace on earth, good will to men.

How do you reflect on the meaning of God coming to earth in the form of a baby?

Subscribe to my newsletter at DianaLeaghMatthews.com and receive a copy of her short story The Singing Santa.

Bio:

Diana Leagh Matthews shares God’s love through her story from rebel to redeemed. Her day job is as a volunteer coordinator, but at night she writes and hunts genealogy. She gives programs as a speaker, teacher, and vocalist, and also presents historical monologues. Leagh (pronounced Lee) is the author of History Made Real, Fun with Words, 90 Breath Prayers for the Caregiver, and others in the Breath Prayers series. She writes the history behind hymns at DianaLeaghMatthews.com and would love to connect with you https://linktr.ee/dianaleaghmatthews.

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Guess How Much God Loves You by Karen Ferguson

Are you looking for God-honoring, creative books for your young readers? I’m so excited to share about my picture book, Guess How Much God Loves You, the first of a six book series that teaches children ages 4-8 all about the never-changing, never-failing, never-ending love of God. 

What was the inspiration for Guess How Much God Loves You?

The Bible. This first book in the six book series is about the Creation Account as recorded in Genesis. I know there is some controversy surrounding The Beginning, and just how that happened, even within the Church. But I’m a firm believer in the authority and authenticity of the Bible, so I relied on what God said happened at the very beginning.

But there is more to this book. There is a story thread that runs throughout each book, with two main characters: Lucy Lu and Papa Joe. I didn’t want to only present facts from the Bible, I wanted those facts to be part of a personal story kids could relate to. A series young readers can grow with, both spiritually and in their reading skills.

I was also motivated by frustration. I was seeing too many children’s books promoting anti-biblical principles. Young children are so impressionable and unfortunately they are bombarded with ungodly messages every day, in ways that would have been unbelievable ten years ago.

I wanted to be part of the solution and create something dynamic, fun, and creative – grounded in the Truths of the Bible – for parents and grandparents to share with the special children in their lives.

Each book will teach a key Bible account that is foundational to growing a solid faith in God, and an understanding of God’s character and His great love for all people. This first one starts at the very beginning, with the Creation of God

While the inspiration for Lucy’s character came from several people, Papa Joe is modeled after my own dad who went home to be with the Lord in 2019.

Describe the ideal young reader for your story. 

Guess How Much God Loves You is a picture book that will appeal to kids ages 4-8. Although it’s intended to capture the attention of Christian parents looking for biblical (and fun!) resources to help disciple their children, my hope is that it will get into the hands of many, many children who do not come from Christian homes. I want every child to know that they have been created by God on purpose and for a purpose, which means their life matters. 

Lots of research and understanding of young children’s character and development goes into writing a picture book. Was there something you just knew had to be included in the story?

As a mom and grandmom, with a background in K-8 education, I’ve had enough experience with children to know three things that would be important for this book. I knew it had to be simple enough for kids to relate to, creative enough to capture their attention, and I knew it had to address two of the greatest needs common to us all, and especially important to a child’s development: the need to be loved and to belong. 

What spiritual truths do you want your young readers to understand after reading your picture book?

I want young readers to understand three simple but powerful truths: God is the Creator of the world, God created them in His image, and God loves them. These are essential truths that will help carry children through the ups and downs of life as they grow into young adults. And I believe it’s what will help strengthen their resolve to resist the worldly messages that so often present truth as relative and life meaningless. 

I’ve also included a page at the end that introduces young readers to Jesus, which will be covered in more depth in another book in the series.

***

Guess How Much God Loves You is now available on Amazon (or wherever books are sold), and I hope you’ll pick up one (or two to share with the special young readers in your life. I want every child to know their life matters!

You can also sign up for my newsletter, and you’ll be the first to know about upcoming events, giveaways, freebies, and new books.

Karen Ferguson is a freelance writer and small business owner with a background in K-8 education. A grateful wife, mom, and grandmom, she loves words and Scripture and is passionate about writing stories that grab and hold young readers’ attention, while teaching them all about God’s unchangeable truths, and His unchanging love for them. 

The first book in the Guess How Much God Loves You picture book series is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Landmark Booksellers, and wherever books are sold.  

You can connect with Karen on her website or on social media at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Goodreads, Bookbub and Amazon.

Far From Home Christmas by E.V. Sparrow

Far From Home Christmas

In 1975, I accepted Jesus Christ’s work on the cross for my salvation, and a few months later, my parents sold my childhood home. We moved into a new community for people over 55. Because of my parents’ ages, they allowed me in. The promise of the clubhouse pool helped sell me on the idea and get excited.

The day we unpacked the moving truck, a friendly neighbor approached from across the street, and introduced us to another neighbor, Bea. She had a son my age. As we stood in our driveway, Bea told us there were four teens now, and she was happy to meet me. She invited me to her church, the youth group, and was the first Christian woman I met. Bea discipled me before I’d heard what it was. She also has the gifts of mercy and evangelism. It’s always Christmas in her heart.

Bea is 100 years old now, and my “second Mom.” She and her family adopted me by welcoming me as a sister. Her two youngest sons were my close friends. One had the travel bug and urged me to come over to Israel and work on the kibbutz for the summer where he lived, then work for the winter in Germany. I did.

It was 1981, and I fulfilled my dream of overseas travel after listening to his stories of working seasonal jobs and traveling for several years. The thought of going to Bible story locations burned within my soul. Experience where Jesus lived and see where He died? Yes. Not only enjoy gorgeous posters of castles on my walls, but to go inside them? I must.

I purchased a one-way ticket to Israel, worked on the kibbutz for the summer, traveled, then flew to Germany to work for the winter. Visiting 14 countries gave me the experiences I wrote about in my short stories, and how God gave me the unexpected encounters with Him as I traveled.

I’d never been so far away from home until that 1981 Christmas and never dreamed of celebrating it in the magnificent setting of the German Alps. It remains my most fantastic memory of Christmas, and I wrote a short story about it for Grace Publishing’s Celebrating Christmas anthology. My hope is it will resonate with your heart.

My Bavarian Christmas story is a gift to you when you sign up for my newsletter. Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas in Bavaria

Bio:

Author E.V. Sparrow ministered through short-term missions, worship team, prayer teams, and led small groups in Single’s and Divorce Care ministries. Sparrow’s stories surprise readers when they encounter God’s unexpected presence. She recently signed a contract for three books, with Celebrate Lit. Watch for her first release in December 2023.  You can connect with her here: https://linktr.ee/ev.sparrow

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A Common Girl, An Uncommon Time, Part II by Jane Carlile Baker

A Common Girl

An Uncommon Time

Part II

Read Part 1 HERE

Thanks to Caesar Augustus’s demand for a census, which Mary didn’t mind, since it rescued her from Nazareth, Mary and Joseph trod the same crowded road Mary had six months ago.

The donkey plodded along, and she recalled arranging her clothing to mask her expanding abdomen when she’d walked back into Nazareth after her visit with Elizabeth.

Mary planned to circle around Joseph’s house, but as she was about to, there he stood. Smiling.

“You know that angel?”

“Um hm”

“I met him in a dream. He told me this incredible story’s true. The hundreds of years we’ve waited for our Messiah have ended. Right here, in Nazareth. And just so you know, it doesn’t surprise me one single jot that Yahweh picked you. I’m so sorry I didn’t believe you before. Forgive me?”

“Oh Joseph.” She’d run into his arms.

She’d begged to go with Joseph, though a wife could stay at home if she wanted. Only, she couldn’t stand the staring eyes and wagging tongues of Nazareth, or her parents’ shame, one more moment. Now the sun set as Joseph led their donkey into Bethlehem.

Ouch! What was that? Wait, was it the beginning of birth pains? They grew stronger as the couple came to each door where another innkeeper rebuffed Joseph.

Finally, an innkeeper who also claimed no rooms, seeing her endure a strong contraction, pointed to a stable behind his inn. “You can take her there.”

The Son of the Most High would be born in a stable? Not a palace? Not even a house? Yahweh, what are You doing?

You are rich in something more than gold and silver, Mary. I draw attention to what matters by where you birth My Son.

Joseph piled up clean straw for her, and when she’d accomplished Jesus’s birth, she gazed down into His eyes– His deep eyes held eternity, and love. God had done what He said He would do. Joseph took Him from her and laid Him in a manger where he’d arranged more clean straw. How could she mother God’s Son? How can I, Lord?

I will guide you. But you will make mistakes because you are human, and I am prepared for that.

Rough shepherds appeared and lingered at the entrance. “May we come in? An angel told us while we were keeping the temple sheep that our Savior is here in a manger.” They looked over at Jesus sleeping in His swaddling cloths.

Mary wondered again. No kings, prophets, priests, or warriors–just shepherds? Common people, like her and Joseph. Father, are You telling us that faith is more important than the power, education, or wealth our world approves?

Exactly

“Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.”

May the amazing birth of our Savior lead us all to ponder.

Jane Carlile Baker met Jesus fifty-five years ago. She serves children and on the tech team in her church. Jane’s written three biographies, one nonfiction study of the Bible’s take on living in our times, and two novels. She’s at work on the third, Rogue Irishman, set in her beloved Ireland. Jane edits both fiction and nonfiction. She and her husband live in Central California with a dog and three alpacas. They have three children, five grandsons, and two great-grandchildren.

Jane hopes “A Common Girl, An Uncommon Time” warmed your Christmas. She’d love to send you free short stories once a month if you’ll sign up with your email at janecarlilebaker.com.

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