Wonderful Offerings

The Heart Of Christmas is a Mosaic Collection of six stories just perfect for the Christmas season. It is the third Christmas collection and all the stories are unique, delightful, contemporary and by Christian authors.

The stories are warm and welcoming, each uniquely written. They are similar but different as they spread the love of Jesus.

I absolutely loved this collection. I must confess I did have a favourite. See if you do too.

Broken Noel by Brenda Anderson is a charming and heartfelt story about a journey through grief and the true meaning of Christmas.

Loss hurts. Loss in the run up to Christmas with all its family traditions seems even more painful. There is no one size fits all in a journey through grief. Grief is a process and one must work through it however you can.

God understands our anger and our pain. He wants us to bring it all to Him. “I’m struggling… I know God is always good, but I’m not happy with Him right now.” God wants us to be ‘real’ with Him.

Prayer is important. We must remember to listen as well as to talk. “He already had a direct line to God, [he] was working on the listening part.”

Brenda Anderson has drawn her characters well and realistically. They are easy to empathise with. The reader can so easily ‘feel’ the grief of a father. His eight year old daughter is a mixture of sad, apprehensive and also excited for Christmas. Her Jesus heart and enthusiastic nature are infectious. Broken Noel is a delightful tale.

No Night There by Eleanor Bertin is a heartfelt tale about forgiveness and new life in Jesus. It is a tale that shows it is never too late to invite Jesus into your life. “He’s dying alone… without Jesus.” As I once remember Jamaican evangelist George Miller saying “you can live without Jesus but for goodness sake, do not die without Jesus.”

Scripture is important. As we read scripture aloud, a calm descends into our souls.

Forgiveness is important. It frees us from a prison of bitterness.

Reading No Night There will not leave you unchanged. It is a short story with a powerful message.

Star Light by Sara Davison is a beautiful bittersweet story about letting go and trusting God.

The story of the first Christmas is told from the point of view of the innkeeper’s wife. It alternates with a present day narrative as we learn that Jesus is for “everyone, everywhere.” It is a cleverly constructed story that will swell your heart with love.

Life is not always kind but God is faithful. “Even if I feel completely alone, God is with me.” Whatever we face in life, God walks beside us in the fire. “Trying to cling to the hope… that God had not abandoned her.” Sometimes we do not ‘see’ or ‘feel’ the presence of God but our feelings are not a reliable gauge to the presence of God.

The story deals with loss. It is an all-consuming loss that has frozen a life at a moment in time. We need to let go of loss, and open up our hearts to let love and life in again. Star Light was utterly beautiful.

Hart Of Noel by Chautona Havig is the most delightful tale showing how to get the spirit of Christmas flowing. It is set in a small town where a book shop and a coffee shop sit side by side – what could be better? Add in a shaggy dog, an independent cat and a bird called Atticus not Finch – and you have all the ingredients for a perfect read.

Smiles and kindness can melt hearts. Neighbours pull together when a crisis falls. Heads come together to think up ways to improve sales.

As the story heads towards Christmas, the reader is enchanted. Hart Of Noel is a hug in a book. It is delightful.

Caught In The Act by Lisa Renee is a light-hearted charming story about putting on a nativity for the community in a small town. We see the hard work and dedication required to work with children – but the independent spirit of the children on the day causes much hilarity!

Small town living means your private life is not your own, as well-meaning older ladies decide to match-make. Caught In The Act was a really fun story.

Claus-trophobic by Lorna Seilstad is a wonderful warm tale following a seasonal Santa and his elf over the festive period.

Unconditional love is received from God. Santa wants to spread this love to all. We witness the patience and care needed as children are greeted. There was a very touching scene as Santa took the time to talk to a boy with autism. There is a huge heart within the tale that wants to open a place where children with disability can take their time to see Santa. Claus-trophobic was a very touching tale.

I received a free copy from the organisers of the Mosaic Collection. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

JULIA WILSON