The Story Behind ‘One Holy Night’ by J.M. Hochstetler

One Holy Night started out as a short story back in the late 1980s. I was working with another author to develop a book of short stories that revolved around Christmas, each with a different theme, and all within a larger story that tied them together. I was assigned to write a miracle story, and what greater miracle is there than the birth of Jesus? After we each wrote several stories, however, the project was shelved and never completed. But although I forgot about the story, a seed had been planted.

Over the years I’ve done a lot of thinking about the gritty issues that impact our lives—intergenerational and interracial conflict, addictions, war, illness, death, divorce. Brokenness of one kind or another affects every family and individual. And the more I thought about it, the more I questioned how we can make sense of our lives and find reconciliation in our relationships. How can we find purpose, strength, and healing when we go through painful experiences?

I continued to think about these issues, and when the Gulf War came along in the mid 1990s, it shaped my thinking some more. Around 1999 or 2000, I was looking for a new project, so I got this story back out, reset it during the Vietnam War, and played around with it off and on. Then 9-11 happened, and right around that time a young woman in our church was diagnosed with intestinal cancer and died within a year. In the fall of 2002 my parents both died as the result of a car accident. Afterward the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were in all the headlines, and opposition was growing along with the casualty count. Commentators began to compare the war in Iraq with the quagmire of Vietnam—a conflict I was well acquainted with since I was in high school and college during those years.

So all these things started to find their way into this story set during 1967 about a family in a small town in Minnesota that is faced with these issues while the son is away, serving in Vietnam. The conclusion I came up with is pretty well summed up in the little blurb for the book: As on that holy night so long ago . . . in a world torn by sin and strife . . . to a family that has suffered heart-wrenching loss . . . there will be born a baby . . .

For a long time I didn’t think this story would ever be published and find its way to readers, but the Lord hadn’t forgotten it. One Holy Night was published in April 2008 and won the Christian Small Publishers Book of the Year in 2009. It continues to touch readers’ hearts and to receive excellent reviews, all to God’s glory.

J. M. Hochstetler writes stories that always involve some element of the past and of finding home. Born in central Indiana, the daughter of Mennonite farmers, she graduated from Indiana University with a degree in Germanic languages. She was an editor with Abingdon Press for twelve years and has published four novels. Daughter of Liberty (2004), Native Son (2005), and Wind of the Spirit (March 2009), the first three books of the critically acclaimed American Patriot Series, are set during the American Revolution. One Holy Night, a retelling of the Christmas story set in modern times, is the 2009 Christian Small Publishers Fiction Book of the Year and a finalist for the 2009 American Christian Fiction Writers Long Contemporary Book of the Year.

Hochstetler is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association, Christian Authors Network, Middle Tennessee Christian Writers, Nashville Christian Writers Association, and Historical Novels Society. She and her husband live near Nashville, Tennessee.

You can find Joan online at www.jmhochstetler.com or at this book’s blog http://oneholynight.blogspot.com.

RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVE by Teresa R. Jones: “…readers will be compelled and encouraged to seek a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Ten years ago my husband and I were hit with very disturbing news.  We noticed that our two-year-old daughter’s left eye would drift uncontrollably, and we took her to the doctor.  She was diagnosed with a rare eye disease called Retina Blastoma, which is a malignant tumor that forms in the eye, and causes the retina to detach.  At the time, only 100 people in the United States, per year are diagnosed with the disease.  We were told that the only cure would be to remove our daughter’s eye.

My husband and I were devastated, but we were not going to give up.  We sought the opinion of several other doctors, and they all gave us the same prognosis.  Our pastor, who is also a pediatrician, arranged for us to meet with an ophthalmologist at the hospital where he worked.  The ophthalmologist examined our daughter and told us that he believed that our daughter had Retina Blastoma.  He also told us about another disease called, Coats which looks just like Retina Blastoma, but it is benign.  Strangely, Coats usually occurs in boys, and it is extremely rare for girls.  The ophthalmologist only knew of one other case where a girl was diagnosed with Coats.  Most ophthalmologists cannot distinguish between the two diseases until the eye is removed.

The ophthalmologist told us about a conference for ophthalmologists that take place at the hospital twice a year.  One of those conferences was scheduled that day.  He also informed us that there was a world renowned retina specialist attending the conference, and he was sure that specialist would examine our daughter.  The specialist could determine that our daughter had Coats.  Miraculously, our daughter’s eye would be saved.

One day while I was home alone, I reflected on the ordeal and many other challenges I have had to triumph over in my lifetime.  In my spirit, I told God that life has been rough for me, but I could clearly see how He has been there to help me through it all.  I began to think about other women I knew who were still trying to battle life on their own.  I then told God that it is ashamed that more women won’t turn their lives over to Him.  I then heard a still small voice say, “Tell them.”  I asked, “Tell them?  Lord, how?”  The same still small voice said, “Book!”  This moment was the conception of Return to Your First Love.

Return to Your First Love is the assignment God gave me to tell my testimony.  Throughout my life, I have gone from walking with God zealously in my youth, inconsistently in my early adulthood, and maturing to a steadfast walk with Him in my latter years.  My story is a tale of overcoming the struggles of family dysfunction, low self-esteem, rejection, forgiveness, financial hardship, sexual immorality, challenges in the work place, to winning in marriage and living a victorious life.  Over the past four decades of my life, I have learned valuable lessons that have been both beneficial as well as costly.  I trust my life experiences would speak to any woman no matter what stage she is in life.  Return to Your First Love is a timely message that edifies, exhorts and encourages in times of uncertainty.  Readers will be compelled and encouraged to seek a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Teresa Jones is a writer for the Neighborhood Writing Alliance (NWA), which publishes the award-winning Journal of Ordinary Thought (JOT). Teresa is a member of Toastmasters International and the National Association of Female Executives (NAFE). Teresa is faithful member of the Apostolic Faith Church, where she serves as a prayer counselor for the Prayer Line Ministry. She and her husband, Alexander, have been married for 16 years and have two children. You can visit Teresa R. Jones website at www.teresarjones.com. You can contact Teresa at teresa.jones@revelation2-4.com.

DISTANT THUNDER by Christian Fiction Author and Pastor Jimmy Root Jr.

Inspiration is an interesting word with Biblical roots. It literally means that something is breathed out by God. I would not put the fictional story of Distant Thunder in that category, but its foundation of Biblical prophecy certainly qualifies. Being a life-long student of Bible Prophecy, I found it a natural transition from teaching those prophecies to creating a story with prophecy as its basis.

One of the stunning aspects of ancient Old Testament scripture is how what was predicted over twenty-five hundred years ago has, and is coming true today. Ezekiel the prophet witnessed a vision that described the re-birth of the nation of Israel. He also related how a coalition of nations, soon after that re-birth, would gather to destroy the Jewish nation. I use the word stunning because Ezekiel listed the exact nations that are headlining today’s news as being mortal enemies of Israel. Is that a coincidence? I think not and therein the idea to write a fictional story based on current events was born.

Now, in the creation of Distant Thunder and The Lightning Chronicles, inspiration comes into play. I took two passions from my personal life, Bible prophecy and the military thriller genre, and blended them into what I am calling a prophetic fiction thriller. Using what is most familiar to my own purpose I began by creating a character based on the life of a Pastor. As with my wife, many have asked if Pastor Ty Dempsey, one of the two main characters in the book, happened to be my alter ego. The answer is a resounding no. Aspects of my daily life show up simply because that is what is familiar to me. But Ty is his own man. He is an ordinary individual that is confronted with an extraordinary and frightening circumstance. He portrays how heroism is alive and well, even though that heroism might go unnoticed.

The real work came with the second main character, something that was totally apart from my personal experience. Moshe Eldan is an Israeli F-16 fighter pilot. Although the thought of flying something so powerful and dangerous as a fighter jet has always been a dream, I have never been within a hundred yards of an F-16. So, I began with a series of questions that led me deep into the research of my character’s surroundings. That included studying the advanced military weaponry and tactics used by the Israelis and other national air forces. It meant buying an F-16 flight simulator and spending hours trying to figure out how the thing worked. I confess I had a blast, plus, the aerial dogfight sequences in which fighter jets are shot from the sky became quite realistic. Thankfully, the military aspects of Distant Thunder passed muster as a 9th Air Force Combat Instructor reviewed the material and called it “spot on.” From that point, the rest of the story was easy and just exciting in the writing as it will be for the reader.

I have read of authors spending weeks outlining a storyline in order to make their book come alive. But for me, the story seemed to flow from the very start. I found myself surprised and perplexed at the actions of my characters, and that is how it should be. They were as unpredictable and conflict-driven as any normal human being. That, to me, is the greatest inspiration of all.

Jimmy Root Jr., has served as an ordained minister with the Assemblies of God since 1982, including service in Nebraska, Missouri, and a seven year term as a missionary in Colombia, South America. Jimmy is the lead Pastor of Family Worship Center of Smithville, a growing suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. Married to his wife Jean for twenty-nine years, the Roots have three grown children.

Root is a 1981 alumnus of Central Bible College of Springfield, Missouri where he majored in Biblical Studies and Pastoral Theology. He is also an alumnus of Southeastern University, Lakeland Florida, where he majored in Intercultural Studies.

A lifetime student of Biblical prophecy, Jimmy is also the Professor of Eschatology, The Study of End Times, for Berean University through the Northern Missouri District School of Ministry. He is a featured speaker at Churches and other venues, and is the host of “The Bible Uncensored” radio broadcast heard on radio stations around the country.

His writings, both in book form as well as his blog, are purposed to be a wake-up call to a sleepy American church that seems to be losing a truly Christian World View. Distant Thunder and its sequels, A Gathering Storm and Then Comes Lightning, will reveal to the adventure/thriller aficionado the reality of the coming fulfillment of Biblically prophesied events. You can visit his website at www.lightningchronicles.com or his blog at www.prophecyalert.blogspot.com. Connect with him on twitter at www.twitter.com/JimmyRootJr and Facebook at www.facebook.com/jimmyrootjr.

FINDING FAITH IN A SKEPTICAL WORLD by Chet Galaska

I was an atheist confident in my unbelief. Man’s endless selfishness and destructiveness, the deaths caused by natural disasters, and the relentless march of science to explain everything without God constantly reinforced my views. At the same time, the foibles of holier-than-thou religious types demonstrated their moral failings.

I believed atheism was correct. And the fact that it conferred a sense of intellectual superiority over those who had faith was a nice bonus. It’s like today’s atheists who call themselves “Brights” and swagger around decrying the intellectual bankruptcy of anybody who disagrees.

When our kids were born my wife and I planned to bring them up with religious training. I wouldn’t interfere with exposing them to a belief system that, wrong as it may be, gives many people comfort. Discussing my views could wait until they were older.

As we searched for a church, I felt life would be easier if I didn’t have to put on a charade for the next eighteen years. Soon, stories in the media appeared that dealt with some of the reasons I doubted. In the midst of this, a businessman I respected stopped in. I asked him what he thought about religion and he turned out to be a committed Christian. Since I asked, he was delighted to tell me what he believed and why. It took me aback because I didn’t expect him to believe at all. At this point, God was really on my mind.

I had read a book, “PJ Funnybunny,” to my older son every night for weeks. As I walked into his room one evening I silently thought “God, if he wants to read The Child’s Book About God instead of PJ, then I’ll believe.” Jon had PJ in his hands, put it down, went to a bookshelf holding around forty identically bound Golden Books, pulled out the “God” book, gave it to me and said, “I want to read this tonight.” We had never read that book before and I don’t think Jon even knew what it was.

So I believe in God.

But the question of who he is remained fuzzy. I was eventually invited by my physician to attend a Sunday school class on handling stress through faith. The lessons made sense and they piqued my interest in Christ. After the course ended I began attending church, joined a Bible study group and realized that my old certainty about God’s nonexistence was based on misconceptions and bad information. I realized that unbelievers deliberately close themselves off from spiritual truth and this lack of receptiveness is what makes them so convicted.

Finding Faith in a Skeptical World explains many issues that kept me from belief but later became reasons for faith. Finding the information was time-consuming and sometimes difficult, and I realized that a book that presented it briefly, readably and understandably would have been helpful to me in my search.

None was available, so I wrote one hoping it’ll help others come to faith.

C. William “Chet” Galaska was born in 1951. He began his college career at Drew University in Madison, NJ and graduated from the University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. In 1979 he co-founded a company that casts stainless steel for use in corrosive industrial applications that grew into a multi-million dollar enterprise and was its president for 24 years before changing careers and becoming a real estate investor.

His credentials are defined by what he is not. He isn’t a theologian, pastor, Ph.D. or a philosopher but is a typical person who was an unbeliever, influenced by the same things as other skeptics, who became a Christian after several years of investigating the faith with an open mind.

He served as Chairman of the New England Chapter of the American Foundry Society, played rugby, earned a Private Pilot’s License, is a Certified Scuba Diver, has skydived, is a roller coaster aficionado, likes traveling and enjoys having new experiences. He lives with his wife, Lisa, in Massachusetts. They have two grown sons, Jon and Drew.

You can visit Chet online at www.triadpress.us

WHAT’S WRONG WITH MORMONS by B. Jay Gladwell: “…inspiration…grew out of the countless falsehoods and gross inaccuracies being perpetuated by the opponents of the Church.”

The inspiration for What’s Wrong With Mormons? grew out of the countless falsehoods and gross inaccuracies being perpetuated by the opponents of the Church. In the year 2007 (when the book was being written) we had a member of the Church running for the Republican nomination for president of the United States. There was the broadcast of a lopsided, inaccurate documentary about Mormons on PBS. There was a weekly television program, about an obnoxious doctor with a supporting character who is a Mormon that perpetuated misinformation about the Church. On top of that, a group of evangelicals produced a video, distributed it on DVD, and claimed it was produced “out of love for our Lord Jesus Christ and love for our Mormon and Christian friends.” Yet the video contains a thoroughly dishonest portrayal of the Mormon faith, using smear tactics and religious bigotry to perpetuate the same tired half-truths and misinformation that have been used for over 175 years. As a result of all this, the Church has been brought to the forefront of the news. And, if I may speak frankly, it got very tiresome reading and hearing and seeing what other people—non-members—outside the Church were claiming our doctrines to be. How ridiculous! The only thing more ridiculous is giving credence to such individuals and their falsehoods and half-truths.

As I mentioned above, a member of the Church was running for the Republican nomination for president. There were endless articles about that candidate and nearly each one, in one way or another, brought up the issue of “Mormons as Christians.” This concern was most prevalent among evangelical Christians. One such article spoke about a recent survey that showed many of these evangelicals were drawn to this candidate’s values but repelled by his Mormon faith. Can you see the irony in that statement? Isn’t that like saying, “I like apple pie, but I am repulsed by apples”? How can one accept the teachings of Jesus Christ but reject the Savior?

Think about it. How many times have you read or heard how people really admire Mormons for their family values, yet their teachings are abhorrent. Mormons are held in high regard because of their work ethic, but the Prophet Joseph Smith was a scoundrel. Mormons are respected for their moral points of view on chastity, honesty, abstinence from alcohol, tobacco, and drugs, yet their doctrines are of the devil. Mormons are appreciated for their humanitarian contributions and the goods and services provided in the wake of natural catastrophes around the world; nevertheless, they aren’t Christians. Where has there ever been a greater contradiction of thought?

In light of the above, this book was written as my attempt to answer the simple question: “What’s wrong with Mormons?”

B. Jay Gladwell is the author of WHAT’S WRONG WITH MORMONS? You can visit his website at www.whatswrongwithmormons.com.

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BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER by Heidi Hess Saxton: “…I felt that protective mantle draw over me again and again…”

Miracles happen. I’ve seen prayers answered, inexplicably and incontrovertibly. The little kid healed from cancer. Groceries materializing on the doorstep of an out-of-work mother and her three hungry kids. Footsteps in a hallway that stopped my friend’s abusive husband from following through on his threat to kill her.

And yet, when I became Catholic, and a good friend suggested that I “tell Mary about it” the next time I felt lonely, or scared, or overwhelmed, to be honest I thought it sounded a little kooky. Why would I do such a thing?

But then I did. At first a trifle apologetically … “Oh, God, please don’t let anything happen that I could misconstrue as an answer if I shouldn’t be doing this…” Then puzzled, “God, why would you allow such a thing?” Then, finally, with conviction, “OK, Mary, I’d like someone to sit with me in church again today, if you can manage it.”

Three weeks in a row, the same request. Three weeks in a row, a different stranger appeared. And, like a child, I found myself being drawn to the protective skirts of the Blessed Mother. As the years passed and I became a mother myself, I felt that protective mantle draw over me again and again … And, through those children, I began to understand that God sometimes works in ways we never expected. Frankly, He sometimes answers not because of our prayers, but despite them.

Behold Your Mother is the fruit of this gradual awakening – first drawing from my own experiences, then enlarging on the titles that have been attributed to Mary by Christians through the centuries. “Star of the Sea,” “Seat of Wisdom,” “Mother of God.”

But to me, she will always be “the one who never lets her children sit alone in church.”

Heidi Hess Saxton is the author of Behold Your Mother: Mary Stories and Reflections of a Catholic Convert and adoptive parent columnist at CatholicExchange.com and CatholicMom.com. To order her book, go to http://www.christianword.com.

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