Joy to the World: Inspirational Christmas Messages from America's Preachers

Front Cover
Olivia M. Cloud, Olivia Cloud
Simon and Schuster, 2006 M11 21 - 416 pages
"Is there an idea or a dream that is lingering in the back of your mind this Christmas season?" asks the Reverend Robert H. Schuller in Joy to the World: Inspirational Christmas Messages from America's Preachers.

"Is there some long-lost hope that you just cannot forget? God often comes through these thoughts. It is God at work in you."

"Track what we call our good fortune and we shall see God clearly in our lives," says the Reverend Gardner C. Taylor in his message. He asked the question "Did you ever sit among your family and, strangely, feel a thankfulness which made you somewhat shamefacedly brush a tear away? You heard the angels sing!"

"Christmas is a time of establishing and celebrating many traditions," begins the Reverend Paula White in her reflection.


This is but a sampling of dozens of messages on the true meaning of Christmas included in this first book to celebrate the spirituality of Christmas by bringing together a diverse collection of messages from Christian leaders from across the country.

Contributors to this collection represent congregations from Hawaii to New York to Atlanta and all the regions surrounding and in between. These inspirational words are from men and women who minister to and console young and old from all walks of life and who reflect the range of ethnicities and Christian religious traditions that characterizes America today.

This timeless treasure trove of inspiration and teaching has something for everyone and is the perfect gift for the season of giving. Joy to the World shares the spirit of Christmas throughout the year.

From inside the book

Contents

Daniel Akin THE KING WITH FOUR NAMES
1
Melvin Banks Sr KEEPING CHRIST CENTRAL
14
A R Bernard VISION IS A PROCESS
30
George G Bloomer ALL THE CHRISTMASES TO COME
43
Mark G Boyer CHRISTMAS PAST PRESENT
52
John R Bryant HAVE YOU SEEN JESUS?
62
Anthony Campolo THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST REVEALED
73
Joseph Champlin CHRISTS CONCERN FOR CURRENT
85
Ella Pearson Mitchell A TESTIMONY AT CHRISTMAS
212
Otis B Moss III RAISING ANOTHER MANS BABY
222
Myles Munroe THE GLORY OF CHRISTMAS
232
William Bill E Pannell JOY TO THE WORLD
242
Pentz DRAW NEAR
253
GOD WITH US
263
Robert H Schuller CHRISTMAS HONORS
270
Robert Smith Jr PREGNANT WITH POSSIBILITY
276

Emanuel Cleaver IN PRAISE OF NAZARETH
99
Suzan Johnson Cook GOD IS WITH US
105
Kevin W Cosby A NIGHT AT THE HOLY DAY INN
114
Michael Eric Dyson MAKE ROOM FOR GOD
120
William S Epps SACRED WONDER
130
Ken Fong AN UNCOMFORTABLE CHRISTMAS
139
Billy Graham UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN
151
Forrest E Harris Sr LIVING WITH DEFERRED HOPE
169
Donald Hilliard Jr POWER TO THE PEOPLE
178
Barbara King CHRIST IN YOU
186
Vashti Murphy McKenzie NO LONGER BUSINESS
196
Bertram Melbourne THE JOURNEY OF JOY
205
Wallace Charles Smith PREPARE THE
288
THE PORTRAIT OF OBEDIENCE
297
Taylor CHRISTMAS SO WHAT
309
Frank A Thomas A CREATIVE CHRISTMAS
315
Watley GODS TIMING AND OUR TIMING
330
Steve Wende ACCEPT THE GIFT
338
Paula White THE VALUE OF CREATING FAMILY
345
Jeremiah A Wright Jr GODS GIFT TO US
355
Ed Young SHOPPING FOR A SAVIOR
361
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
369
PERMISSIONS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
397
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About the author (2006)

The Reverend Olivia M. Cloud, editor of this groundbreaking book, has worked with a number of ministers, turning sermons into books. The daughter of a minister, she has devoted more than two decades to the ministry of Christian education through publishing. Her varied work in Christian publishing includes a decade as product development coordinator for the world's largest denominational publishing house, LifeWay Christian Resources. Her company, Guardian Angel Communications Services, provides editorial and publishing services to Christian authors and businesses.Before she began her ministry as a writer, editor, and publisher, she served as executive director of Capitol Area Ministries, an ecumenical ministry serving children and adults in downtown Atlanta.She is associate minister at Berean Baptist Church in Nashville, where she was licensed and ordained as a minister of the Gospel. She is also a certified volunteer chaplain with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. A popular speaker at conferences, she is Tennessee state chaplain for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.She earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from the University of Kentucky (Lexington) and a master's in religious education from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (Louisville, Kentucky).Reverend Cloud is the author of six books and currently serves as director of publishing for the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.

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