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I was quite excited when I saw that Nancy had released a Christmas devotional. I knew it was one I wanted to read. In the end, I was not disappointed. This focus on different aspects of the season of Advent was a unique one that any Christian would benefit from reading. I hope you will consider reading it this holiday season ~ Bethel Songs are an important part of the celebration of Christmas, especially in western culture. These songs are about everything from the traditions we love to the stories embedded into the holiday, especially the ones surrounding the birth of Jesus. Since so many of these songs are so beloved, we can forget that the original Christmas story has a few songs in it as well. In fact, there are a total of six songs in the first two chapters of Luke, all of which can reveal quite a bit about not just Christmas, but also about ourselves.  In her devotional The First Songs of Christmas, Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth walks through the six songs of Christmas over 31 days, covering the whole month of December. Diving into one or two verses per day, this book takes a deeper look at what these songs, spread out across the greater story of Advent, can teach us about how to live in the joy and expectation of what Christmas means every day of the year. Each chapter concludes with a short prayer, a few additional Scripture readings, and a simple way to respond to the daily message. This devotional is a powerful and fresh perspective on the story of Advent as it is based on unique Scriptural reflections. Whether you are learning about Christmas for the first time or you know the story like the back of your hand, everyone will be able to learn something new from this book. Get your copy today! * I received a copy from the publisher for the purpose of this review  Personal Rating. This book gets 5s across the board. Probably one of the best devotionals I have read in a while!  Interested in purchasing this title? If you purchase it from Amazon using the link below, Abiding Grace Ministries will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you. Purchase The First Songs of Christmas: https://amzn.to/4gwpD6h
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Due to the seasonal nature of this book as well as my commitment to review this book within a particular time frame, this will probably be my shortest review to date. Posting this Christmas Day means that you all are probably not looking for an advent book. I also apologize to any faithful followers of my blog for my lack of posts in 2019, since I have only published a dozen reviews (this being the 13th) and nothing else. But I am working on some awesome plans for my blog and YouTube channel in the coming months that I cannot wait to share. I also hope you are still encouraged by this review, even as we continue to remember the significance of the incarnation beyond Christmas Day ~ Bethel  In his book, The Characters of Christmas, Daniel Darling walks through the different stories of the nativity narrative from the perspective of each major and even some minor characters surrounding the birth of Jesus. Giving historical context along with personal insights, this book gives a new perspective to many of the characters we don’t think much about, and even those we do. Even going back to some of those in the lineage of Jesus, Darling illustrates the incredible tapestry of people that God wove together over 2000 years to help bring Jesus into the world, and with Him, the redemption of all mankind. This book is much different from many devotional book, or even books on advent. It’s an invitation to step into their world in order to become a part of the redemptive story of mankind. This book is pretty straightforward and a great compliment to any holiday tradition. Get your copy today!  Personal Rating. My major criticism of this book that there were several details about Joseph and Mary that we being asserted as facts that are not mentioned in the Bible and cannot be proven from external sources. For example, the author makes the assertion that Mary would have been illiterate. Although it’s true that she came from a small town in a small country, this is not a detail I am comfortable with him asserting as fact. This is one of several examples in the first several chapters of this type of assumption. The last chapters (starting with the one about the Wise Men) are much better in this respect, after you are dealing less with specific details about Joseph and Mary that the Bible doesn’t give. Because of this problem, I might struggle with recommending it to others. * I received a copy from the publisher for the purpose of this review To learn more about gaining a more biblically and historically grounded perspective on the birth of Jesus, make sure to check out my devotional The Arrival of Emmanuel
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Lion's Eyes Reviews is a blog dedicated to reviews of Christian books, most of which are non-fiction, but may also occasionally review movies and musicals. It will also feature the work Bethel does to help launch and promote the works of Christian authors.
The name is derived from one of Bethel's favorite books, Through the Eyes of a Lion by Levi Lusko. Through these reviews, Bethel hope to give Christians the tools they need to look at the world "through the eyes of a lion" so they can find the courage to "run toward the roar". To find the detailed archives of these reviews, you can check them out here: Books In Review Movies in Review Broadway In Review Quick Reviews To understand the rating used in these reviews, click here Categories
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Bethel Grove is a Christian young woman who loves to read and write, eat Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Blizzards, and disciple teen girls as a youth leader. What started as a hobby of writing book reviews and doing deep biblical studies eventually led her down the path of self-publishing and supporting other Christian authors and ministry volunteers. She hopes to someday be a vocational youth minister and well-known author.
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