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C.S. Lewis finds common ground on which all those who have faith in Christ can agree.

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Bill Hybels identifies how the God of the Bible fits the qualities of the God you are searching for.

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"Oh, Joseph, Jesus Is Coming"

Francine Rivers Unafraid, One of the Five Unlikely Women Who Changed Eternity, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. 2001, pp. 25, 26, 27.
SoAmazing.com

Category: Fiction
ISBN: 0842335994
Keywords: Joseph, Lord, Mary, Jesus, dung, smoke, manager, Messiah, donkey, God, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Rivers, Francine Rivers

"Oh, Lord, help us! Joseph looped the donkey's reins into his belt and lifted Mary in his arms. Lord, Lord, show me where to go! 'The Lord will help us, Mary,' he said as he carried her. 'He will help us.' He fought back the doubts attacking him. Mary groaned and her body tensed in his arms. Fear filled him as he looked around, frantically searching for help.

An older woman sat, leaning against a wall, a worn blanket wrapped snugly around her. 'Try the caves down there.' A gnarled hand appeared from beneath the soiled blanket, a bony finger pointing. 'The shepherds keep their flocks there in winter, but they'll be out in the hills now.'

'May the Lord bless you!' Joseph carried Mary down the hill and across a flat stretch. He saw the mouth of a small cave above him and headed for it. He wrinkled his nose as he entered the dark recesses, for the air was dank and fetid from the odors of dung and smoke. The donkey followed him into the cave and headed straight for the manger near the back.

Mary tensed in his arms again and cried out. Fear washed over Joseph as he looked at the filthy floor of the cave. Is this the place where the Messiah will be born? Tears filled his eyes. Here, Lord? ' He's coming . . . ,' Mary said. 'Oh, Joseph, Jesus is coming.'

What did he know about helping a woman bear a child? Was there time to find a midwife? Even if he had time, where would he go to look for one, and what of Mary in his absence? 'You must stand here a moment.' He set her gently on her feet. 'Use this post for support while I prepare a place for you.'

He found a pitchfork and spread straw in the stable near the back, then yanked his blanket from the pack on the donkey and spread it over the straw. He helped Mary lie down. 'Try to rest while I build a fire and find water.'

Kindling and firewood were stacked to one side of the entrance of the cave, and a cask of water stood near a trough. He tasted it and found it surprisingly fresh.

Within a few minutes, he had a small fire going in the pit near the center of the cave. Above it, the ceiling was blackened by years of soot, the floor caked with the packed dung of hundreds of animals who had been sheltered here over the years. 'I'm sorry, Mary.' He knelt beside her, tears running down his cheeks into his beard. 'I'm sorry I couldn't find a better place for him to be born.'

She took his hand and pressed it against her cheek. 'God brought us here.' Her fingers tightened and she began to pant and groan."

SoAmazing Review: What was it like for Mary to give birth to Jesus, the Savior of the world, in a strange place where animals lived and soiled? Francine Rivers tells us.

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Another Great Book Quotation

" 'Life has a way of sapping the stars from your eyes. It has a way of drowning out the wonderful sound of black bugs rubbing their legs together. Fix your eyes on the clouds right now, right where you are. You may find God where you least expect him." Chris Fabry, p. 107, At the Corner of Mundane and Grace.

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