Christmas or confusion, Bethlehem or bedlam . . . Which will you choose this year? The truth is, we don’t have to choose, because Christmas always happens right in the midst of our chaos. God breaks into our noisy disorder and is made known in Jesus Christ. Christmas and confusion—weren’t they intimately related at the first Christmas when Jesus was born? Sometimes we forget that. That’s what this study is about—how Christ breaks into our chaos and confusion and brings Christmas—how Bethlehem always happens in the midst of bedlam. This participants book for adults includes a session for each Sunday in Advent, along with one for Christmas Sunday. Each session includes questions for reflection and discussion, a brief prayer, a focus for the week, and six daily Bible readings for personal devotional time during the week.

Christmas or confusion, Bethlehem or Bedlam & Which will you choose this year? The truth is, we don't have to choose, because Christmas always happens right in the midst of our confusion. God breaks into our confusion and makes himself known. Christmas and confusion--weren't they intimately related at the first Christmas when Jesus was born? Sometimes we forget that. But, that's what this book is about--how Christ breaks into our chaos and confusion and brings Christmas--how Bethlehem always happens in the midst of bedlam. This thematic Advent study for 2013 has five sessions--one for each Sund.

This multi-age, all-church Bible study program for Advent is centered on the book Finding Bethlehem in the midst of bedlam written by popular author James W. Moore. This study contains five sessions that delve into the Luke account of Jesus' birth through an ADVENTure to find Bethleham. Children will have opportunities to experience the stories of Mary, Joseph, Gabriel, the shepherds and Jesus. This guide is simple to use and includes reproducible activities for each session.

Christmas or confusion, Bethlehem or Bedlam... Which will you choose this year? The truth is, we don’t have to choose, because Christmas always happens right in the midst of our confusion. God breaks into our confusion and makes himself known as a human boy. Christmas and confusion--weren’t they intimately related at the first Christmas when Jesus was born? Sometimes we forget that. But, that’s what this book is about--how Christ breaks into our chaos and confusion and brings Christmas--how Bethlehem always happens in the midst of bedlam. This thematic Advent study for 2013 has five sessions--one for each Sunday of Advent and one for Christmas. Each session is related to the overall theme of the book. This year's theme is Bethlehem or Bedlam? Discussion questions are included.

Christmas or confusion, Bethlehem or bedlam . . . Which will you choose this year? The truth is, we don’t have to choose, because Christmas always happens right in the midst of our chaos. God breaks into our noisy disorder and is made known in Jesus Christ. Christmas and confusion—weren’t they intimately related at the first Christmas when Jesus was born? Sometimes we forget that. That’s what this study is about—how Christ breaks into our chaos and confusion and brings Christmas—how Bethlehem always happens in the midst of bedlam. The Youth Study is five sessions that help teens experience the hope of Christ amid the commotion, confusion, and challenges of their day-to-day lives. Leaders and participants work from the same book, which includes readings for reflection, a host of age appropriate teaching-and-learning activities that groups can choose to fit their needs and setting, and a short devotional reading for each day of the Advent season.

Christmas or confusion, Bethlehem or bedlam . . . Which will you choose this year? The truth is, we don’t have to choose, because Christmas always happens right in the midst of our chaos. God breaks into our noisy disorder and is made known in Jesus Christ. Christmas and confusion—weren’t they intimately related at the first Christmas when Jesus was born? Sometimes we forget that. That’s what this study is about—how Christ breaks into our chaos and confusion and brings Christmas—how Bethlehem always happens in the midst of bedlam. The re-introduction of this all-church Advent study, which features a new Leader Guide and DVD, has five sessions—one for each Sunday of Advent and one for Christmas. Each chapter includes questions for reflection and discussion, a brief prayer, a focus for the week, and six daily Bible readings for personal devotional time during the week. The Leader Guide is designed to be used alongside the DVD. It will enable a small group leader to facilitate a weekly discussion about Finding Bethlehem in the Midst of Bedlam using the five DVD sessions as its starting point. Questions and activities will guide group participants to discuss and understand each chapter in greater depth. The DVD and Leader Guide are not a substitute for the book, but a guide for discussing the book in small groups.

Elizabeth Blackwell, though born in England, was reared in the United States and was the first woman to receive a medical degree here, obtaining it from the Geneva Medical College, Geneva, New York, in 1849. A pioneer in opening the medical profession to women, she founded hospitals and medical schools for women in both the United States and England. She was a lecturer and writer as well as an able physician and organizer. -- H.W. Orr.

As the heady promise of the 1960s sagged under the weight of widespread violence, rioting, and racial unrest, two young men--one black and one white--took to stages across the nation to help Americans confront their racial divide: by laughing at it. Tim and Tom tells the story of that pioneering duo, the first interracial comedy team in the history of show business--and the last. Tim Reid and Tom Dreesen polished their act in the nightclubs of Chicago, then took it on the road, not only in the North, but in the still-simmering South as well, developing routines that even today remain surprisingly frank--and remarkably funny--about race. Most nights, the shock of seeing an integrated comedy team quickly dissipated in uproarious laughter, but on some occasions the audience’s confusion and discomfort led to racist heckling, threats, and even violence. Though Tim and Tom perpetually seemed on the verge of making it big throughout their five years together, they grudgingly came to realize that they were ahead of their time: America was not yet ready to laugh at its own failed promise. Eventually, the grind of the road took its toll, as bitter arguments led to an acrimonious breakup. But the underlying bond of friendship Reid and Dreesen had forged with each groundbreaking joke has endured for decades, while their solo careers delivered the success that had eluded them as a team. By turns revealing, shocking, and riotously funny, Tim and Tom unearths a largely forgotten chapter in the history of comedy.

Imprisoned by the Romanian Communists for his work in the Christian Underground, and subjected to medieval torture, Wurmbrand kept his faith and strengthened it. For fourteen years, he shared that faith with suffering cellmates and gave them solace. In solitary confinement, he tapped out his message of hope and Christian love. In Room Four, the "death room", he helped dying patients even though his lungs were riddled with tuberculosis and his body lacerated and bloody from whips and kicks. Anguished over the fate of his wife and son, he could still tell jokes and stories to make despairing prisoners laugh. Sorely tempted by the promise of release and reprieve, he refused to become a Communist collaborator. And the miracle is that he survived. With humble gratitude to God and Christ, he tells his personal story. It¿s an inspiring drama of triumphant faith.