All of us at Christian Standard want to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas as we celebrate and reflect upon the coming of our Savior, the greatest gift ever given!
Over the past few years, Christian Standard has established a tradition of asking several people from various areas of Christian leadership to share brief stories about their favorite or most unforgettable Christmas Memories. This year’s authors, from across the country and around the world, have recalled heartwarming stories with insightful messages that we believe will resonate with you at this special time of year. Each of these memories is briefly described below with a link to their internet site. They may also be accessed under the News tab of the ChristianStandard.com website.
Victor Knowles, the founder and president of Peace On Earth Ministries (POEM) and editor of One Body Magazine, wrote this year’s first story, “The Christmas that Stank to High Heaven,” as a memory of a childhood gift he gave to his mother.
Dr. Sara Fudge, the Academic Dean for TCM International Institute, shared “Christmas with Jim,” a memory about time spent with her older brother at Christmas when he returned home from serving as a soldier in the Vietnam War.
Pino Neglia, a missionary serving in Italy and Albania with Lecce Christian Mission, wrote “Lessons From a Train Station in Rome at Christmas.” Amid a challenging ordeal in the train station in Rome and a difficult train journey home for Christmas, Pino shares four insights he gained along the way.
In “The Last and the First,” Matt Branum, a church planter and minister of North Point Christian Church in Spearfish, SD, relays the story of his terminally ill father’s risk of further complications to spend his last Christmas with Matt’s first child, a newborn daughter celebrating her first Christmas, who had recently been diagnosed with influenza.
Brent Bramer, the lead pastor and church planter of SLO City Church in San Luis Obispo, CA, wrote “The Day Before the Day,” in which he recalls a family tradition from his childhood of assisting his dad with passing out Christmas gifts and food on Christmas Eve to needy people in the community.
Rebekah Hannum, a missionary to Galicia, Spain, and executive director of Anchor418, wrote “The Donation of Life at Christmas,” comparing the Christmas donation of a kidney that saved her life to the living donor who was born in a manger on the first Christmas and would grow up to willingly give his life so that many could have eternal life.
Steve Reeves, the minister of Spring Hill Church of Christ in Middletown, OH, shares “Shifting into High Gear at Christmas,” the story of receiving his first motorcycle as a teenager at Christmas and how learning to ride it beyond first gear can be compared to trusting God to take our faith story for the ride of a lifetime.
Finally, Mike Kennedy, a bi-vocational minister at Minnehaha Church of Christ in Vancouver, WA, and professor at Northwest College of the Bible in Portland, OR, wrote “Merilly Making Memories,” as a recollection of his family’s Christmas celebrations with relatives and the value of remembering these meaningful memories.
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