In 1741, John Wesley preached his famous sermon titled “The Almost Christian” in which he encouraged people to follow Christ wholeheartedly. We should not be satisfied with being almost Christian but rather strive towards being altogether a Christian. In Almost Christmas: A Wesleyan Advent Experience , author and pastor Magrey deVega leads a group of authors to explore how we can make the same commitment to Christ during A ...
Sometimes the happiest and holiest time of the year is also the hardest for people to enjoy. These daily readings offer the skeptic, the over-committed the opportunity to make room-perhaps just enough room-for God to show up. The weeks leading up to Christmas can spark a strong spiritual longing for more. Although it may never be articulated, we sense beneath those longings is a yearning for an experience of God. These brief writings address th ...
One Surprising Night retells the story of Christ’s birth as the fulfillment of a promise God made to his people long ago. Yet, Jesus’ arrival brought – A surprise to Mary & Joseph when an angel announced his coming A surprise to the shepherds tending their flocks A surprise visit from traveling wise men from the east. (Each page opening of One Surprising Night features story segments in both English and Spanish so ...
Too often our children get caught up in the hustle and bustle that surrounds the Advent season and miss what it means to really prepare our hearts and minds to welcome the Christ child. This year help your child to 'Stop, look, and listen" by reading how the characters in the Christmas story stopped what they were doing and looked and listened to the messages from God. Contemporary text along with the traditional Christmas story help childr ...
The Wonder of Easter uses a child’s “wonder” questions to think about what it must have felt to be a part of the biblical story, and uses a prayer to make a connection to how we honor Jesus today. It includes Bible verses on every page and is in both English and Spanish text. ...
A look at the Christmas story with the emphasis on the “wonder” of the season. Each page begins with “I wonder…” and journeys chronologically from Mary and Joseph’s trip to Bethlehem through the Wise Men’s return home. A short prayer and biblical text follow this on each page. Each facing page has the Spanish translation of the story. ...
Long, long ago, in a land far away, lived a perfect little tree named Small Pine. Small Pine hoped to maintain its perfect form and be selected by the Queen as her Christmas tree. But as the warm-hearted little tree gave shelter to birds, rabbits, and deer in the forest, its branches became damaged. Fortunately, the Queen had a different idea of perfection… Young readers will want to read and reread the story of how Small Pine's love and c ...
That Blessed Christmas Night is the story of the first Christmas night told in poetry form. The wonder of the first Christmas is seen through the eyes of children reenacting the story. The simple things of earth – the clear, starry sky; a humble stable filled with animals; shepherds caring for their sheep – suddenly become bolder, clearer, and richer as the children don costumes and sing their praises to the Child. ...
