CHRISTMAS MEMORIES 

Kevin’s early memories of Christmas revolve around his parents’ faith and involvement in the Lutheran church.  “I grew up going to church at least twice each week.  I was an altar boy, our family prayed together, and my father led our family as a Godly man.”  There were other sweet memories, too.  “Christmastime brought the cold weather of Minnesota and the promise of hot chocolate.”  Another great part of Christmas then was the visit from his grandfather Sorbo. “Christmas Eve in the Sorbo home with its five children and Grandpa Sam was the time for opening gifts, but not before going to church service at our local Lutheran church and a fine Christmas Eve dinner around our kitchen table.  On a teacher’s salary, everything about the Sorbo finances was humble, including our Christmases.  While we celebrated the holiday as a time of joy and gifting, we also recognized it, fundamentally, as the celebration for the freedom we have with Christ’s redemption from our sin and enslavement.”  

For Sam, Christmas conjures up very different recollections.  “I grew up with an atheist mother who claimed Jewish heritage, and I was sent to Saturday Hebrew school, although our household celebrated Christmas and Easter because Stepdad was Protestant.  Those festivities were the only expression of his Protestantism, as he never went to church, much less considered reading the Bible.”  Once a believer, Sam grew to have a new perspective, though she acknowledges that the holiday is still not easy for all believers.  “So, trust me when I say, Christmas was not my holiday, until I came to Christ.  Seems simple, right?  Not really.  Many Christians struggle to embrace the essence of the holiday spirit.  This is likely because they are distracted or caught up in all the pageantry, the commercialization, and the anxiety that family dynamics often play.”  
 
THE ANTICIPATION OF ADVENT  

Sam remembers well the excitement she and Kevin felt as they anticipated the birth of their first child, Braeden.  Sam “nested” by preparing and painting a room as a nursery for him.  Years later, she wondered what
 
it must have been like for Abram to wait, and wait, and wait some more for the fulfillment of God’s promise that he would have offspring too numerous to count.  “Do you sometimes wish the Lord would comfort you about your future?  Abram heard the word the Lord spoke to him, assuring him he would give birth to nations, and Abram believed Him, and it was counted to him as righteousness.  That’s all it took.  Because he believed, he was considered a righteous man.  Advent (the four weeks leading up to Christmas) is a time to prepare ourselves for the season that celebrates the birth of Christ.  The first way we should make ready is with our belief, and the best way to do that is to begin with our surroundings.  By behaving in expectation, with preparation for the message of Christmas that the Lord wants us to receive, we bring His Word to live in our hearts and foremost in our minds.”  
 
THE CELEBRATION OF CHRISTMAS 

The Sorbos use the traditional twelve days of Christmas, starting with Christmas Day, as a way to remember why we should rejoice over the birth of Jesus.  On the third day, the three French hens so well known in the famous carol symbolize three key characteristics of Christians: faith, hope and love.  “It is the mystery of God and the necessity of faith that make our religion real and beautiful.  On the flip side, to maintain atheism demands even more faith, arguable, than Christianity.  To imagine that nothing came out of nothing to give us everything for no reason and with no scientific explanation is laughable, and yet, that is the atheist’s contention,” they point out.  “And hope is the reason He came, because our sin condemns us to misery, but Christ’s redemptive act frees us from condemnation and allows us to beg for and receive forgiveness.  That’s hope.  Love is at the seat of our lives.  We are relational beings, ill-suited to isolation and needful of companionship,” the Sorbos remind us.  “Love is also the reason for Christ.  The only aim of His descent from on high to the world below is explained in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son…”      
 
THE MEANING OF EPIPHANY

January 6th, twelve days after Christmas, marks the day Christians celebrate Epiphany.  “The word means appearance or manifestation,” Sam and Kevin explain.  One epiphany they cite as an example is that of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, famous author of Gulag Archipelago.  He wrote, “Bless you prison, bless you for being in my life.  For there, lying upon the rotting prison straw, I came to realize that the object of life is not prosperity as we are made to believe, but the maturity of the human soul.”  

In their own lives, the Sorbos share the epiphanies each has had as to his/her greater purpose.  Kevin knew he wanted to be an actor since he saw a Shakespeare play in the fifth grade.  Many years later, after three strokes which threatened his acting career, “Kevin started to see the fuller meaning for his drive: filming stories to bring fellow souls closer to Christ, thereby improving the culture.”  He’s been able to do so through many projects, including faith-based films, like God’s Not Dead, and narration opportunities.  Sam found her passion for acting in high school, and found success in both modeling and acting within just a few years.  “Now, Sam performs in the even more fulfilling roles of wife, mother, and educator, and has allowed her passion to lead her to discover an entirely new purpose, encouraging parents to home-educate and emancipating children from the schools.”       
 

For more information on Sam Sorbo check out the link! www.SamSorbo.com 

For more information on Sorbo Studios click the link! www.SorboStudios.com 

If You Would Like To Purchase The Book ‘Christmas 40 Days Devotional' Click the Link and Get Free Shipping! 

CREDITS

Kevin:  Co-author, Christmas 40 Days Devotional (Humanix, 2024) / Actor, director Left Behind: Rise of the Antichrist (2022) / Actor, Trail Blazers (2021) / Narrator, Wrath documentary, Co-author, True Faith, (2020) / Actor, Miracle in East Texas (2020)/ Actor, producer, director, The Reliant (2019) / Actor, producer, director Let There Be Light (2017) / Co-producer/voice of God, Breathe Bible Audio New Testament (Tyndale, 2017)/ and Share the Light devotional, (2018)/ Actor in more than 40 movies and TV shows, most known for his roles in hit TV series, Hercules (1993-1999), Andromeda, and Kull the Conqueror /  Appeared in movie Soul Surfer, and played atheist professor in box office hit God’s Not Dead (2014).  

Sam:  Actress, producer, Miracle in East Texas (2020) / Actress, producer, writer Let There Be Light (2017 /Executive Producer Sean Hannity) / Author, They’re Your Kids and Teach from Love (2017) / Co-Author, True Faith (2020) and Share the Light devotional (2018) / Model, radio show host - The Sam Sorbo Show / homeschool advocate / Sam and Kevin have three children: Braeden, Shane, and Octavia.

Senegal

When Adama and her children became Christians, Adama’s husband, along with the rest of her Muslim family, cast them out of their home. Adama explained, “I went from house to house washing clothes. With the little income from that, I was unable to pay rent. We were evicted many times because of that. We slept in unfinished houses that didn’t have doors or windows.” 

Adama’s daughter, Naomi, said, “We were expelled from school, because we couldn’t pay the tuition. Seeing my friends go to school without me really hurt, but I trusted in God and we asked Him to send people to help us.”

“We hardly had any food,” said Adama. “One time, we didn’t have anything to eat for four days. I had 33 cents, so I bought tea bags and made some tea for my kids to fill their stomachs. When I shared my story at a prayer meeting, a lady there contacted Orphan’s Promise and asked them to help us.” 

Soon after that, another Christian couple at that prayer meeting offered to pay their rent at an apartment. Then Orphan’s Promise came in with a special house warming gift.

Adama said, “They brought us rice, onions, oil and everything we needed to eat. Glory be to God! I cried many tears of joy when this miracle happened.” 

And to help Adama’s children get a good education, we also paid all their school fees. 

Naomi said, “God has answered our prayers. We have been able to continue with our studies. He gives me wisdom and intelligence, and every time I’m first or second in my classes. Thank you for helping us!”

“My heart is flooded with the joy of Jesus Christ,” said Adama. “Everything has changed! He sent his angels, Orphan’s Promise, to bless us and give us back our dignity. To all the donors and everyone who made this possible, ‘May God bless you and raise you from glory to glory, so you will continue to be a source of blessing to others.’” 

Pain was a constant companion for Alissa Whitson for much of her life. “When I was 15, I started having really severe, severe back pain. My dad took me to the doctors and doctors told me that I had degenerative disc disease. Didn't make any sense to them, because they said, usually they don't see it in people until they're in their fifties, sixties. So, they're like, 'here's a back brace, here's some Vicodin, you'll eventually be in a wheelchair. This is the rest of your life.'”

Still, she had hope. “I grew up watching the 700 Club and so I always hear the miracles and the testimonies. And so, I, even though I didn't fully understand the Jesus that heals, I still remember in my youngest ages, my earliest years, my grandma saying, 'we're praying for your healing. We're praying for your healing.' So, I was like, 'okay, I know God’s got a purpose for my life, so I’m going to push through this and I’m going to find out how to overcome.”

Overcoming would become more difficult with each passing year. Unable to diagnose the problem, doctors could only prescribe stronger pain meds. By the time Alissa started college to pursue her dream of becoming a teacher she was using a cane. 

“And so, I was just trying to figure out how is God good while I'm suffering so much and while life is so hard and I’m having to get help from so many people and I can't even like, take care of myself. When I got to that point of complete hopelessness, I had so many pills from medication after medication, after medication. And so, when I decided I was done, I just dumped out everything I had and swallowed as many pills as I could. I think I took about 75 pills that day.”

Fortunately, a friend had noticed earlier Alissa wasn’t herself. Concerned, she went to Alissa’s dorm room and at once she knew something was wrong and called 911. “I kept going cause I was like, 'okay, God saved my life.' I kept going to doctors, I kept going to church. I kept having people pray for me just to help me hold on to hope.”

After college, Alissa got a teaching job, but her condition grew worse. Her joints began dislocating, forcing her to wear braces on her arms, legs, and even fingers. Despite the braces and multiple surgeries, Alissa still landed in a wheelchair. Finally, doctors had a diagnosis - Ehlers Danlos syndrome, a genetic, connective tissue disorder that has no cure. The now 35-year-old felt she had to make a decision. “It was heartbreaking. It was my dream to work with kids. It was my dream to teach. And when I knew I couldn’t do that anymore, I was so angry at God. I was so angry at this good God that gave me this life and this passion to teach kids and to impact their lives. And suddenly I had this diagnosis that was going to keep me from doing that.” 

Soon after, she took a job as an administrative assistant at a tutoring center. In March of 2021, alone in her car after work, she considered taking her life again. “And I told God, I was like, 'if You're real, if You truly care about me, my family's going to call and check on me because that rarely ever happens.' And I didn't believe that could happen. So, I gave God the impossible task.” 

A task God soon accomplished. Later that day when Alissa awoke from a nap, there were three messages on her voice mail. All from her sister she hadn’t heard from in months. “Like, how in the world did that happen? And I was like, 'okay, God, You clearly...You see this struggle, so You've gotten me through this point. You're still getting me through. You're not leaving me. So, you see me, and I will surrender to you.” 

At the suggestion of a friend, Alissa went to Seattle Revival Center to receive prayer for healing. Pastor Richard Gordon from Bethel Church in Redding, California was leading the service. When Alissa went forward, he began praying for her. “I fall down on the ground in the spirit and I’m just encountering God's joy. And I’m laughing like I did when I was a little girl as He just washes over me. And His presence was just so good. And so afterwards they helped me stand up and every time someone prayed for my healing, the first thing I test is my arms. My arms would only raise this high for four years. And so I go to raise one arm and I go straight up and I just kind of look at it like my arm just went up. And I was like, that's kind of cool. And so I go and raise the other arm and I go straight up and I just freak out. And I’m like, oh, okay. God, this is real. And then I see a friend of mine that I had known for a decade. Next thing I know is I’m grabbing my purse and I’m running over to her and then Holy Spirit tells me, 'You don't need your braces anymore.' And so I took off my finger braces, I took off my knee braces, and my ankle braces and I ran around my sanctuary completely pain-free.” 

Within months Alissa was off all medications and would need no more surgeries. Following God’s leading, she didn’t return to teaching. Instead, she attended Bethel’s School of Supernatural Ministry, took a warehouse job, and is traveling around the world sharing what God did in her life. 

“Even believers have lost hope of the God who heals, and of the God who walks with us through our pain. And knowing that kind of strength. I hear the stories over and over again from people who just quit believing, who don't want prayer. And I know there's people that are in the shoes that I was in fighting. And so, I really feel like God's calling me to be used to restore hope to people, to show them that God of all hope.”
 

In the bustling city of Bangkok, Thailand, Orracha, a dedicated Sunday school teacher and pastor’s wife, embarked on a new and exciting journey. Her story is one of passion, dedication, and a desire to see the children in her church grow in their faith.

Recently, Orracha attended a Superbook Academy training session for the first time. “Today is my first time attending the training. I am happy because I’ve heard about Superbook for a long time, and today I had the great opportunity to be invited by the staff. I’m glad I could come. I’m impressed,” she shared enthusiastically.

The training session proved to be a game-changer for Orracha. She was particularly struck by the quality of Superbook’s content. “The training today was very beneficial because I really like Superbook’s media. It’s colorful, and the content is concise, easy to understand, with words that help children grasp the concepts more easily,” she explained. 

Orracha was also deeply moved by a testimony shared during the training. She watched a clip about a young boy named Ice, whose life was transformed through his encounter with God. “I want to see the children in the church like in Ice’s testimony clip. I’m impressed with Ice’s life story—how he met God and his life changed, from being a shy child to a brave one,” she reflected.

With renewed enthusiasm and a wealth of new resources, Orracha returned to her church, eager to apply what she had learned. She envisioned a future where the children in her Sunday school would not only learn about God but also experience personal growth and transformation, just like Ice.

If you would like to help CBN continue to provide resources to Sunday school teachers through Superbook Academy and reach young lives around the globe with the Gospel, use the link below to give to CBN Animation’s Superbook ministry.

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