Sunday Post #107

Sunday Post is a weekly post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Each week bloggers participate to share any books received and news from their week.

~No New Books This Week!~

RECAP OF WEEK:

SUNDAY:

Sunday Post #106

MONDAY:

Review - Bad For You (Sea Breeze #7) by Abbi Glines (4 stars)

TUESDAY:

Teaser Tuesday #79: Stone Cold Touch

WHAT'S AHEAD:

Tentative Posts:

Teaser Tuesday

Waiting on Wednesday

Feature & Follow

Planned Posts:

Review - Until the End (Sea Breeze #9) by Abbi Glines

Sign up for the 2014 Series Ender Reading Challenge ended on 12/15!! I want to say a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone that joined us this year! I hope you reached your reading goal of those series enders! I didn't quite reach mine. But I definitely made big progress in them and added a few more along the way. 

If you missed out this year, you can participate next year in the 2015 Series Ender Reading Challenge. We host a giveaway EVERY month and a BIG giveaway at the end of the year for everyone that participated through the year. Click on the link above or the button below to learn how to join!

In other news, the family and I went to see The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies on Friday night. It was very good, action packed - literally from start to finish. I even shed a few tears. 

On Saturday we celebrated Christmas with my brother and his family who were visiting from out of town. Family time is what I most look forward to during the holidays. 

As many of us celebrate Christmas this week, I thought about this question: if I only had one thing to share with you what would it be? 

Do you know the story of Jesus? A large portion of Christians throughout the world celebrate the month of December as Jesus' birthday. The truth is that we don't know exactly when He was born. The Bible describes His birth in great detail (Matthew 1, Luke 1-2) but the day in which He was born is never mentioned. I would suggest it's because the day he was born is inconsequential. What is important is that he WAS born and his LIFE had purpose - the most important purpose of anyone who has ever lived. If you've never heard about His birth, let me share with you his amazing story.

An angel named Gabriel came to a young Jewish virgin girl named Mary. Mary was betrothed to a carpenter named Joseph. The angel told her she was favored among God, and she would have a baby boy and name him Jesus and he would be the Son of God. During a census of the people that Caesar had called for, Mary and Joseph were traveling on their way to Bethlehem and due to the crowding of people there, they found there were no rooms at the inn. They had to then stay in a place where animals are kept. That night, Mary gave birth to the Son of God, the Creator of the Universe, the King of Kings, the Savior of the World. She named him Jesus, and laid him in a manager - which is literally a feeding trough for animals. Some shepherds who lived in the fields near Bethlehem tending their flocks were awake this night and an angel of the Lord appeared to them telling them the Messiah was born in Bethlehem and they would find the baby wrapped in strips of cloth lying in a manger. Meanwhile, in a far away country, wise men who studied the stars (Matthew 2) talked among themselves how they had seen a new star in the sky. They questioned whether this was the sign they had been looking for - a sign that the new King of the Jews had been born. For many months they traveled following this star until they came to Bethlehem, right where Mary and Joseph were living. They worshiped the child and gave him beautiful and expensive gifts.

Jesus' birth and death were planned before the creation of the world (Hebrews 9-10), so that He might die and be the spotless sacrificial lamb for all people. His blood would once and for all wipe away the sins of man, something that the sacrifices of the blood of bulls and goats under the old covenant could never do (Hebrews 10:4). 

Today, you and I can be covered by the blood of Jesus! Just like those who killed Jesus asked Peter upon conviction of their sin (Acts 2:36-41) "what should we do?" and Peter answered them "repent (which is to change your heart and life) and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then God will forgive your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Do YOU know this Jesus? The Jesus who was born to a young virgin girl named Mary, the Jesus who is the Son of God, born in a manger? If not, read about him, get to know his story and what he's done for you. 

Whether you choose to celebrate Christmas as a spiritual holiday or not, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Lastly, enjoy listening/watching this video. I love this song's message - not to mention Pentatonix is just amazing.

Thanks for stopping by!