Great Reads for the Upcoming Christmas Season

October 25, 2019October 25, 2019 by Laurie Stroud

Best Books

Expecting Christmas

That first Christmas, the world missed His coming. They missed worshipping the newborn King. Two thousand years later, people are still missing Him. What if you’re missing Him? What would this Christmas be like if your heart was prepared to expect Christ? Expecting Christmas offers forty daily readings to help center your heart on the Christ of Christmas so you can respond to the peace, hope, and love made flesh in worship.

Pursuing the Christ

Pursuing the Christ is a 31-day devotional and prayer guide to help you breathe in the freshness of Christ during the holiday season. Based on the themes of Advent, such as hope, peace, and joy, Pursuing the Christ will help you escape the holiday stress for just a moment each day as you find yourself joyfully meditating on familiar Christmas verses and some possibly not-so-familiar Messianic passages that will warm your heart as you appreciate how the season impacts your life every day of the year.

The Ornament Keeper

Award-winning author Eva Marie Everson wraps up a Christmas story of hope, love, and forgiveness just in time for the holidays. The Ornament Keeper, a contemporary Christmas novella, features Felicia and Jackson Morgan who are spending their first Christmas apart after twenty years of marriage. But a lifetime of gifted ornaments helps Felicia piece together the story of their marriage and the one mistake of unforgiveness she made before they said, “I do.” Can these memory-filled ornaments reunite this family before Christmas? Only time will tell.

These books and more available from NewHopePublishers.com or your favorite retailer. †

October 25, 2019 by Laurie Stroud

Best Books

The best books are not those which merely convey a message of truth, but those which also convey truth beautifully. My Heart Cries Out (Crossway Books) is an example of such writing. Paul David Tripp has given God’s people a gift with his latest book of meditations and prayerful reflections. Tripp’s writing is, as the apostle Paul would say, true and just and lovely.

Covering a wide spectrum, My Heart Cries Out contains thoughtful and honest meditations on the human condition. We live as flawed people in a broken world, but God is redeeming the world through Christ. My Heart Cries Out was written in the tension of the brokenness which afflicts us and the grace of God which redeems us. Perhaps no better summary of Tripp’s work can surpass his own words of introduction.

Paul David Tripp, Author of My Heart Cries Out — Paul David Tripp has written more than 30 books on Christian living and is an international conference speaker. His latest book is available at Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts in Alabaster.

“My hope is that My Heart Cries Out will help you to see the Savior more clearly, to understand his grace more deeply, to confess your struggle more honestly, to worship him more fully, and to find in these meditations the motivation to continue to follow the Savior even when he leads you into unexpected and hard places.”

These are words of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

–Darrel Holcombe, Owner
Sanctuary Christian Books and Gifts
Colonial Promenade, Alabaster, 205-663-2370

October 24, 2019 by Birmingham Christian Family

Publishers note image gift of fear Nov 19 featured image

Laurie’s Blog

For years, I’ve considered fear or worry as a negative character trait. It’s been a hang up for me that I have sought to shake. Just when I think I have it licked-there it is. Recently I was given reason to have gratitude for that fear, to classify it as a gift. You see fear has a way of pushing me toward my heavenly Father. I don’t have the answers. He does.

When I feel anxious, my natural reaction is to try to control the situation, hang on to something, which is usually my will. I have learned the best remedy for me in this situation is to stop, look to the Lord, surrender my will and seek His (1 Chronicles 16:11). That gives me peace where fear once lived! And that my friend is a wonderful gift!

-Laurie Stroud

Founder, The Christian Family Publication, Inc.

www.BirminghamChristian.com

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Celebrating 20 Years of Good News!

“I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God’s hands, that I still possess.” Martin Luther

NOVEMBER GIVEAWAYS

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October 22, 2019October 22, 2019 by Laurie Stroud

Mission Makers

Brought to you by: Community Partner White Plume Technologies, www.whiteplum.com

Transformation Ministries (TM) is offering a new program designed to help male and female veterans find freedom from the debilitating effects of PTSD on their lives and on the lives of their families. This faith-based program is designed to bring clinical and spiritual approach over a three-day retreat called, “The Soldier’s Heart Retreat.” Our first of many retreats to come will be conducted on November 11-13, 2019, at TM’s newest facility, Yellowleaf Creek Mill in Clanton, Ala.

Guest speakers will be:

Justin Moody, PhD, LAT, ACT, Asst. Professor of Kinesiology at Samford University, Neuroscience – Traumatic Brain Injury
Michael “Big Mike” Asdel, MSgt USAF Retired, MA Pastoral Counseling, Current VA Medical Center Disaster Preparedness Coordinator
Rock Hobbs, LtCol. USAF Fighter Pilot Retired, MA Aerospace Science, Pastor

Many people believe and teach that PTSD is something that a person will have for the rest of their life and they just have to learn to cope with it through medications and therapies. At TM, we do not believe that. We believe that God designed and created the brain and He can heal it as well. Our spiritual approach to inner healing has been very successful in the past and we are excited about what God will be doing during these retreats. To find out more about the Soldier’s Heart Retreat and to register, visit www.trministries.org/veterans/soldiers-heart-retreat. The retreat is free to veterans and includes housing, food and activities. Fly fishing, canoeing and lessons on how to fly a drone for the “want-to-be” aviators will be part of this special weekend. We are taking the first eight veterans that sign up and can provide a DD214 upon registration at the Mill on November 11.

Transformation Ministries "The Unit" Coin — Members of the Unit will receive a specially designed Unit Coin and can attend the Unit luncheons for free if they bring their coin.

If you have a desire to help our veteran heroes and want to help support this retreat financially, you can donate online and watch a video on how the Unit works at www.trministries.org/veterans. Joining the Unit is a unique opportunity for compassionate donors to actively be involved in helping veterans experience freedom from the devastating effects of PTSD and other associated issues at our retreats. Our Veteran lunches, “Chow Talk” provide a fun and interesting way to hear from Veterans who received help through the retreats. For details on attending a luncheon and hearing about how God is at work through Transformation Ministries, just give us a call.

-Warren “Rock” Hobbs

Founder, Transformation Ministries

www.trministries.org

205-991-4988

April 25, 2023October 8, 2019 by Laurie Stroud

Cool Stuff

Are you ready to start your holiday shopping? You will not want to miss the unique finds available at the annual Briarwood Christmas Shop on November 7-8, 2019! This free admission event, hosted by Briarwood High School Parent Teacher Fellowship (PTF), offers unique gifts for everyone on your Christmas list. Shoppers will find great stocking stuffers, boutique clothing, jewelry, home décor pieces and much more.

Shop at the Briarwood Christmas Shop from November 7-8 to find thoughtful gifts for friends and family. Proceeds from this event directly support Christian education.

The event will once again be held in Briarwood Presbyterian Church’s Fellowship Hall, 2200 Briarwood Way, 35243. Shop from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 7 and 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Friday, November 8. Amy Pylant, PTF President, shares that approximately 50 vendors will be at the event including crowd favorite Sweet Mercy’s boutique clothing for women and Crown Creations, described by Pylant as a “must visit vendor at the Christmas Shop showcasing beautiful paintings.” Door prizes, donated by vendors, will be given away every 15 minutes, no purchase necessary. Proceeds from the event will go directly to supporting Christian education at Briarwood Christian School.

Grandma Betty’s Homemade Pepper Jelly is an event favorite year after year. Original flavors include blueberry, apricot, kiwi, strawberry, mango and more!

–Melissa Armstrong

October 7, 2019October 1, 2019 by Laurie Stroud

Education Extra

Prince of Peace Catholic School (POP) eighth grade students participated in an amazing “green engineering day” field trip to Southern Research’s STEM Education Outreach Center in Birmingham. It complemented their current classroom studies about energy, and they were able to do hands-on applications of energy concepts! The middle schoolers created their own circuit necklaces with an LED light, studied the effects of angles and temperature changes on solar panels and designed a turbine for a hydroelectric dam. They also competed to create the most energy-efficient solar panels and the most powerful water turbines and measured voltage and current of the turbines to determine the winning design. Innovative POP middle school science teacher Mary Elizabeth Sammis discovered this learning opportunity through her network of local scientists! This field trip is a great example of how POP teachers are always seeking engaging ways to bring their lessons to life. †

September 27, 2019 by Laurie Stroud

Photo Fun

Thierry Roch, former security for Pope Francis at the Vatican and a member of the Swiss Guard, recently spoke to the students at Our Lady of Sorrows(OLS) Catholic School in Homewood. In an assembly, he shared with them what it was like to provide protection for the leader of the Catholic Church. †

September 27, 2019 by Laurie Stroud

Photo Fun

Leaders of the Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church Women’s Altar Sodality perform many services for the parish and the community including cleaning and caring for the sacristy, collecting food and items for the needy, making rosaries and baptismal stoles, and cooking meals. †

September 27, 2019 by Laurie Stroud

Photo Fun

Vestavia Hills native Petty Officer 1st Class Timothy Marshall is an instructor at Naval Education and Training Command (NETC) where he provides cutting-edge technical training that transforms civilians into mission-ready sailors. “Serving in the Navy means contributing to something bigger than myself on a global scale, and doing my best every day to lead those around me,” Marshall said. †

September 26, 2019 by Laurie Stroud

Healthy Living

The Epilepsy Foundation of Alabama will host the statewide Walk to END EPILEPSY® on November 2, 2019 at Railroad Park from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. This family friendly walk brings the community together to affect change through care, advocacy, research and education.

Over a lifetime, one in 10 people will have a seizure, and one in 26 will be diagnosed with epilepsy. There are more people living with epilepsy than with Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy, combined. Yet, epilepsy receives one-tenth the research funding than any one of those disorders. According to the World Health Organization, epilepsy is the most common serious brain disorder worldwide with no age, racial, social class, national or geographic boundaries.

We are excited to hold the Walk to END EPILEPSY in Birmingham to further engage and mobilize the community to be part of the fight to END EPILEPSY,” explains Sara Franklin, the new Executive Director for the Epilepsy Foundation of Alabama.

Sara Franklin, the new Executive Director for the Epilepsy Foundation of Alabama, shares, “The Walk to END EPILEPSY is the only Walk to END EPILEPSY in Alabama and serves as our largest fundraiser of the year. This annual event strengthens our current efforts and generates funding to help families affected by epilepsy and seizures in our local community.” Everyone who participates in the Walk, by leading a team, making a donation, sponsoring a person with epilepsy or volunteering, helps fund research and awareness, training programs on seizure recognition and first aid, as well as improved access to specialty and supportive care. To sign up or for more details about the Walk visit WalktoEndEpilepsy.org/birmingham.†

Great Reads for the Upcoming Christmas Season

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