The Bridge - Molly Allen lives alone in Portland, but she left her heart back in Tennessee with a man she walked away from five years ago. They had a rare sort of love she hasn’t found since. Ryan Kelly lives in Nashville after a broken engagement and several years on the road touring with a country music duo. He can still hear Molly’s voice encouraging him to follow his dreams; Molly, whose memory stays with him. At least he can visit The Bridge—the oldest bookstore in historic downtown Franklin—and remember the hours he and Molly once spent there. For thirty year, Charlie and Donna Barton have run The Bridge, providing the people of middle Tennessee with coffee, conversation, and shelves of good books—even through dismal book sales and the rise of digital books. Then in May, the hundred-year flood swept through Franklin and destroyed nearly every book in the store. Now the bank is pulling the lease on The Bridge. Despondent and without answers, Charlie considers the unthinkable. Then tragedy strikes, and suddenly, everything changes. In the face of desperate brokenness and lost opportunities, could the miracle of a second chance actually unfold?
Celebrate His Love - “Keep Christ in Your Christmas.” “Jesus Is The Reason for the Season.” “Happy Birthday, Jesus!” The buttons and bumper stickers make it seem like Christians, of all people, should know and experience what “Christmas is all about” — but it doesn’t always seem to work that way. Sometimes those inside the church are as much at a loss to put their finger on the essential “spirit of Christmas” as are those for whom Christmas is nothing more than credit cards, tinsel, and a long weekend off work. In this study, Dr. David Jeremiah helps us return to the basic essentials of the greatest event in human history: the incarnation of the eternal Son of God as a Baby in Bethlehem. Why then? Why there? And why does the world still celebrate it today? Travel with Dr. Jeremiah to one of the most humble, insignificant towns in ancient Israel to observe and understand the Christmas story like you never have before. Search the Old Testament prophets for their insights into this world-changing event, hundreds of years before it happened. Marvel at the miracle of God in human flesh, and learn the truths that can change your life right now because God chose to redeem mankind in this unique and beautiful way.
The Christmas Lamp - Roni Elliot loves Christmas in Nativity, Missouri. A lifelong resident, she cherishes every traditional decoration and activity—from the precariously placed town Christmas tree, to the church’s elaborate cantata, to ice-skating at the local rink. To her, these customs are Christmas. The town’s traditions, and the tourists they attract, also pull in half the city’s annual revenue. And it’s all threatened when the new highway bypasses Nativity—diverting much-needed traffic and sending the townspeople into a spirit-crushing panic. Jake Brisco, an outside financial consultant, has been hired to get Nativity back on its feet. Jake comes across as a Scrooge whose only concern seems to be slashing budgets and dashing holiday joy. And sparks fly as Roni’s beloved traditions fall prey to “fiscal responsibility.” Will the spirit of Christmas survive the realities of small-town finance? Or can Jake and Roni negotiate a compromise that saves the day?
The Miracle of Christmas - John MacArthur’s Miracle of Christmas goes to the heart of what Christmas is really about: “The birth of Jesus —Immanuel, God with us, the promised Messiah—who came to save His people from their sins.” “It may be the biggest and most popular of all our holidays, but Christmas is in jeopardy just the same. A subtle but sure erosion is eating away the season’s true significance.” MacArthur offers this book “as an antidote to two prevailing philosophies that are stealing Christmas”
An effort to mythologize the Christmas story
And a tendency to secularize it
With reverence and a contagious sense of wonder, John MacArthur details every biblical fact known about the birth of Jesus, stressing that “Christmas should be a time of real joy and gladness, as opposed to the manufactured sentiment and wild revelry that characterize the way the world observes Christmas.” The simple fact is: That baby in the manger is God. That’s the heart and soul of the Christmas message.”
For lots of people across the country, sitting down for a Christmas movie marathon is a tradition that has become gradually more popular over the past several years. Hallmark Christmas movies are no exception, giving us a fair amount of Christmas spirit and romance. And when I first read the descriptions for The Bridge and The Christmas Lamp, the plots each reminded me of a few Hallmark films I have seen. The main character leaves home for a while, on a journey to find themselves or the job of their dreams, coming back months or years later, at Christmas time. They then find that their hometown hadn’t changed in that time and neither had their first love. In the end, they discover that they didn’t even need to leave home in the first place, and that everything they needed was right in front of them the whole time. Unfortunately, that describes what happens to believers who are led astray for a while. They grow up in a life of faith, family and love, keeping God at the center of their lives. Then out of the blue, something life changing happens (or a distraction orchestrated by the devil occurs). They leave home, believing they are alone and confused. But weeks, months, or even years later they are brought back home, and discover that after all this time, God never left His home in our hearts either. The fact that He will never leave us or forsake us, is better than any Hallmark romance. And that love is exactly what we are celebrating this Christmas season. In Celebrate His Love and The Miracle of Christmas authors Jeremiah and MacArthur express the importance of Jesus’s birth in this magical time of year. Both authors noticed that the purpose of this holiday has been twisted and changed. Children all over the world believe that Santa travels in a sleigh full of gifts drawn by eight reindeer. But the gift they should be looking for isn’t under the tree. The gift they must discover is in the center of the Nativity. The gift God presented to us in His Son Jesus. So come on down to the Cross Reference Library if you want to check out any of these festive books.
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
–Luke 2:11-12