Because Of Bethlehem

In the Because of Bethlehem video Bible study (DVD/digital video sold separately), bestselling author and pastor Max Lucado guides you through the Advent season to its source at an unassuming stable in Bethlehem... No one expected the Messiah to come the way he did. Yet the way he came was every bit as important as the coming itself. The manger is the message. Because of Bethlehem, God knows what it's like to be human. Because of Bethlehem, when we talk to him about tough times, he understands. He's been there. He's been here. Because of Bethlehem, we no longer have marks on our record...just grace. In the midst of your hectic Christmas season, this 4-session Bible study with Max will: Revive your wonder that the One who made everything chose to make himself nothing for us. Rekindle your connection to the Christ of Christmas who offers lasting hope. Help you lay down your endless Christmas to-do list and receive what Jesus has already done. Heal your heartache by embracing the God who is always near you, always for you, and always in you. For some, Christmas is a time of excitement, celebration, and family, while for others it is a time of loneliness, grief, and loss. No matter what this season holds for you, the promise of Christmas will bring you a lifetime of hope. The Because of Bethlehem Study Guide includes video notes and discussion questions, Bible exploration, an individual application activity, and an Advent practice to complete between meetings. Sessions include: God Has a Face Worship Works Wonders God Guides the Wise Every Heart a Manger Designed for use with Because of Bethlehem/He Chose the Nails Video Study (9780310687849), sold separately. The DVD is a two-disc set for Christmas and Easter.

For some, Christmas is a time of excitement, celebration, and quality time with loved ones. For others, it's full of loneliness, grief, and loss. Join New York Times bestselling author Max Lucado as he unwraps the enduring promises of Christmas and discovers a lifetime of hope, all because of one baby born in Bethlehem. It's easy to lose sight of the remarkable story of Christmas. We forget that a king ordered a census, Joseph was forced to travel, Mary bounced on a donkey's back, the hotel was full, the hour was late, and the event was one big hassle. Yet, out of that hassle, hope was born. In Because of Bethlehem, Max invites us to look at the Christmas story from a different perspective. He reminds us that Christmas is about more than a pretty tree with presents piled up underneath it. Christmas begins what Easter celebrates: the child in the cradle who goes on to become the King on the cross. Because of Bethlehem, we have a place on earth and a Savior in heaven. In the midst of your hectic Christmas season, Max will give you the encouragement, advice, and tools you need to: Rekindle your connection to the Christ of Christmas Receive the promises of the Christmas season Lay down your endless Christmas to-do list and trust what Jesus has already done Heal your heartache by embracing the God who is always near you, always for you, and always with you Each copy of Because of Bethlehem will also include an Advent Devotional Guide designed to help you reflect on the miracle of Christ's birth and the promise of his return. As you curl up in a comfortable spot and take a closer look at the wild and wonderful story of Bethlehem, may you find enduring faith for all seasons of your life. No matter what this season holds for you, rest in the truth that the promise of Christmas has the power to bring you a lifetime of hope and healing.

Explores the story and meaning of Christmas for believers, and how it marks the beginning of a hope that endures forever.

A remarkable gift can arrive in an unremarkable package. One did in Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago. No one expected God to come the way he did. Yet the way he came was every bit as important as the coming itself. The manger is the message. In this four-session video Bible study, Max Lucado explores how the One who made everything chose to make himself nothing for us. He experienced hunger and thirst. He went through the stages of human development. He was taught to walk, stand, and wash his face. He was completely and genuinely human. Because of Bethlehem, we no longer have marks on our record . . . just grace. We have the promise that God is always near us, always for us, always within us--and that we have a friend and Savior in heaven. Long after the guests have left, the carolers have gone home, and the lights have come down, these promises endure. The Because of Bethlehem Study Guide includes video discussion questions, Bible exploration, and personal study and reflection materials for in-between sessions. Session Titles: God Has a Face Worship Works Wonders God Guides the Wise Every Heart a Manger Designed for use with Because of Bethlehem: A DVD Study 9780310687849 (sold separately). The DVD is a two-disc set for Christmas and Easter.

This is perhaps the most engaging and readable introduction to T. F. Torrance’s theology around. The author writes from the perspective of having been a student in Torrance’s theology class in Edinburgh when Torrance was at the height of his powers, painting a fascinating picture of Torrance in action as a teacher. The book sets Torrance’s theology in context by placing it in relation to liberal Protestantism on the one hand and traditional Calvinism on the other. It explores Torrance’s methodology; it offers insights on how he linked incarnation and atonement; and it also suggests how some of Torrance’s ideas may be extended in order to result in an even more integrated and cohesive theology. This book is a must, not only for Torrance readers, but for all lovers of theology.

This interactive adult coloring book provides hours of creative time to color and meditate on God's heart-shaping promises of Christmas: Love Is Born, Hope Is Here. Long after the guests have left and the carolers have gone home and the lights have come down, the promises of Christmas endure.

In Because of Bethlehem, a four-session video Bible study, Max Lucado explores how the One who made everything chose to make himself nothing and come into our world. Jesus' birth gives us the promise that God is always near us, always for us, and always within us--and that we no longer need to have marks on our record. In He Chose the Nails, a five-session video Bible study, Max continues by examining the gifts that Christ gave at his crucifixion. These include not only the gift of the cross, but also the gift of the thorns, the nails, and the empty tomb. The cross is rich with God's gifts of grace, and as we unwrap them, we will hear him whisper, "I did it just for you." Because of Bethlehem sessions include: God Has a Face (16:00) Worship Works Wonders (18:00) God Guides the Wise (14:00) Every Heart a Manger (17:30) He Chose the Nails sessions include: He Chose to Be One of Us (15:00) He Chose to Forgive Us (16:00) He Chose to Invite Us into His Presence (15:00) He Chose to Love Us Forever (16:00) He Chose to Give Us Victory (18:00) This pack contains one Because of Bethlehem Study Guide 9780310687054, one He Chose the Nails Study Guide 9780310687269, and one DVD 9780310687849 that houses video for both studies.

In "Because of Bethlehem," Max Lucado calls to mind truths of the gospel that are made a reality at Christmas.

Charles Spurgeon was one of the most evangelical and puritan of protestant minister's in the 19th century. In the second volume of these series of sermons: these charismatic and inspiring sermons are enough to encourage, convict and inspire anyone who seeks a closer and more intimate relationship with God.

The story of Charles Haddon Spurgeon's life is nothing less than titanic. Within 2 years and 6 months of accepting the pastorate of the New Park Street Chapel as a boy of 19, the Sunday service grew from 242 to over 7,000 in attendance. What can account for the meteoric rise in popularity? Why did so many wish to hear his sermons? It is the same reason why one ought to study the sermons of Spurgeon to this day: in a famished land of moralism, he preached the bread of Jesus Christ. Containing the first three volumes of the sixty-three volumes published from the Metropolitan Tabernacle pulpit, this book holds 164 sermons, 'as plump as a partridge, and as full of meat as an egg.' David A. Attebury is currently pursuing a Masters of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Moravians who settled Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in 1742 were committed to a society centered around missionary work. To free their missionaries from the need to earn a living, they formed a communal economic organization in which all workers gave their labor to the community in exchange for food, shelter, and clothing. To encourage each individual's religious development, family ties were deemphasized and members of the same sex, marital status, and age slept, worked, and worshipped together. After 20 years, the worldwide Moravian Church, facing a financial crisis, ordered Bethlehem to reorganize into a traditional community of nuclear families. It was hoped that, under this more conventional arrangement, Bethlehem could be expected to help pay the huge debts of the parent church. In The Transformation of Moravian Bethlehem, Beverly Prior Smaby traces the effects of this change on Bethlehem's Moravians, demonstrating how it altered even the most intimate aspects of their lives. She analyzes the unusually accurate marriage, birth, death, migration, and census records to assess the demographic response to institutional change. She traces change in cultural norms through unique technical analyses of biographies which were read at a variety of Moravian gatherings. Within 100 years, Smaby asserts, Bethlehem grew from an egalitarian communal society of symbolic Brothers and Sisters into a privatized community of socially stratified families whose cultural ideal was no longer religious service but usefulness to family and society. Scholars of American history and folk life will find this book a valuable addition to literature on community history, social change, and historical methods. Church historians will benefit from its in-depth study of secularization on a personal level, and it will be of keen interest to members of the Moravian Church.

The cross and empty tomb form the center of the Christian faith. The church celebrates these two events in what is traditionally referred to as the Lord’s Supper. It is the custom in some Christian traditions to have a brief meditation related to the Lord’s Supper immediately prior to participation. These may be given by the pastor or by a layperson who presides over the ceremony. This book is a series of meditations delivered prior to the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. It is our hope that they will be useful for laypeople who perform this service. They may also be helpful as private meditations on the central events of the Christian faith.

This compelling book offers a unique glimpse into the motivations of suicide bombers, especially women and children, and those who recruit and dispatch them. As a woman and a mother, Anat Berko was able to win the trust of imprisoned bombers and speak with them intimately. Entering Israel’s most heavily secured cells, she met with female and adolescent would-be suicide bombers and their dispatchers, lawyers, and interrogators. The personal stories are greatly enriched by the inclusion of the sketches and letters many prisoners gave to the author. She explores vital questions: What leads individuals to place explosives on their bodies, kill and injure scores of civilians, and take their own lives? Do men really believe that death will transport them to paradise, where Allah, virgins, and wine await them? Are women victims of unbearable pressure to commit this act of terror? Can a woman be “good” according to the criteria of Arab/Palestinian society and a terrorist at the same time? Is involvement in terrorism a sign of the liberation of Palestinian women or another way of preserving their social inferiority, thus explaining their low status and the inferior rewards the families of female suicide bombers receive? Who are the dispatchers, and how do they manipulate and convince women and youngsters to go calmly to their death? The answers to these questions offer a rare and candid portrayal that will be essential reading for all those wanting to understand the interior world of suicide bombers and how to communicate with terrorists.