"This gift book edition of Christmas Stories for the Heart offers an uplifting collection of many of the best Christmas stories ever told. The heartwarming and tender treasury -- another release in the bestselling Stories for the Heart series from Alice Gray -- includes stories by several of America's most respected and loved Christian communicators. Divided into three sections, "Christmas Treasures," "Once Upon a Christmas Time," and "Christmas Reflections," it's the perfect holiday gift to give or to keep for readers who want to curl up by a crackling fire and renew their faith, hope, and love for the holiday season.
We are called to be a blessing. The apostle Peter reminds us that we should, "... not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with a blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing" (1 Peter 3:9 NIV).
But being a blessing--living out the blessing of God--is not merely our calling. It is also our choice. It's a choice we need to make daily with regard to our past and with regard to each person who comes across our path.
But how do we choose to bless, when the events of our past evoke emotions of failure, shame, or deep disappointment? How can we bless the people around us today when their actions make us want to respond--not with a blessing, but with a curse?
With tenderness and honest vulnerability, John Trent shows us how we can face the painful pictures of our past and choose to live--and give--God's blessing. With poignant vignettes from Scripture, from the lives of everyday people, and from his own struggles to face a painful, disappointing past, Trent paints a vivid picture of the powerful impact of choosing to bless those around us. And he reminds us that the blessing is not just a gift we receive from God. It's a gift we called to give every person."
