Blessings Before and After and Always

This last month, as I have enjoyed the release of my second children’s book, I have been reminded of the blessings I had as a child when my parents read to me and my sister. Max and Her Stacks reflects upon the wonder of books and how we can all benefit from the art of reading.

One of my fondest Christmas memories is hearing my father read aloud the second chapter of Luke every Christmas Eve. That precious memory has inspired me this month to feature two ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐books, Before Christmas Began by Katie Cruice Smith and Meanwhile Back at the Manger by Brenda B. Covert.

(I’ll also be referencing Julie and David Lavender’s Children’s Advent Stories for Bedtime because it will be a great source for readin’ round the Christmas tree. Also, stay tuned for an early newsletter when I will be giving away several books you might wish to use as Christmas gifts. Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter at https://joycemccullough.com/newsletter/ for a chance to win.

Katie Cruice Smith’s Before Christmas Began is a beautiful picture book that showcases the events leading up to Christ’s birth as well as the sacrifice He made on the cross for all of us. Most importantly, this book emphasizes Christ’s birth as the real reason for celebrating Christmas.

Before Christmas began,
Peace came to the earth
In the form of a sweet little Baby Boy’s birth.
No climb down a chimney or ride on a sleigh—
NO ONE KNEW THAT HIS BIRTH WOULD BECOME CHRISTMAS DAY.

With sweet rhymes and colorful images, Before Christmas Began would make a great addition to every home and church library.

Brenda B. Covert’s Meanwhile Back at the Manger cleverly parallels two Bethlehem stories: one about an ordinary child who is human in every way and another about a child both human and divine.

Thomas is a disgruntled stable boy who longs for excitement in his life. Like many of us, Thomas finds drudgery in the mundane tasks of his everyday life. However, little does he know he is about to witness a miracle, a moment in time that he and the world will never forget.

After a long day of work and fishing, a bright star guides Thomas back to his stable, and there he finds a newborn Baby surrounded by parents and shepherds and sleepy sheep. Thomas’s life (and ours) is forever changed because of this blessed event!

Thomas glanced at the Baby’s parents, peered into the manger, and smiled. “Welcome to my stable, Jesus!” he whispered as peace flowed through the starry sky.

What a wonderful thought to leave with a child right before he falls asleep.

Speaking of bedtime, Julie and David Lavender’s Children’s Advent Stories for Bedtime is another great tool for emphasizing the real meaning of Christmas and the events leading up to Christ’s birth. Containing a Bible study, a reflection, and a prayer, each of the twenty-five stories offers opportunity to create important memories.

As I reflect upon the memory of my father’s voice reading aloud Luke 2:1-20 in the King James Version, I recall names and words like Caesar Augustus, Cyrenius, Joseph, Mary, swaddling, multitude, pondered, and glorifying—all words that have become imbedded in my brain over the years.

My favorite selection, “Pondering All These Things,” focuses on Mary as she ponders the shepherds and angels and the goodness and faithfulness of the Heavenly Father while cradling a treasure in her arms.

As I’ve perused these books to write this blog, I have pondered the blessings I received from my own father and mother, and I am grateful for their teaching.

I hope you will share these kinds of blessings with the children in your own life before Christmas and after Christmas and always.

“Once in our world, a stable had something in it that was bigger than our whole world.”—C. S. Lewis

“The ox and the donkey understood more of the first Christmas than the high priests of Jerusalem.”—Thomas Merton

“For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself.”—Charles Dickens

Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 9:6; Luke 2:7; John 1:14; Titus 3:4-6; James 1:17