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Published: Dec. 9, 2022, 10 a.m.

Stephanie invites us to\xa0 join her for a cup of Christmas tea alongside Mary the mother of Jesus. Let us ponder her life and legacy. Starting at he Annunciation (when the Angel told her the news of Jesus' impending arrival!), she lived a journey to faith, of faith, and in faith. How can we emulate this hero of our faith?\xa0

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Her journey to faith is marked with reasonable questions, born of ignorance. We are so grateful God does not condemn us for ignorance! Unlike Zaechariah, Mary didn't exhibit unbelief--only ignorance. She chose to embrace that which she may not completely understand, though she tried to understand as much as she could. This role-models a healthy balance of faith and knowledge!\xa0

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Her journey of faith is marked with a deep rooting in Scripture, and flavored with deep joy and profound astonishment at being a part of God's plan--again, something we are invited to emulate! When was the last time you were astonished to be a Christian? We are called to daily rejoice that we are part of the Body of Christ. Joyful disbelief is the trademark of the grateful heart in Christ.

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Her journey in faith involves a movement from her intellect to her heart and emotions. She chooses painful grace in surrender.

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Jesus offers to incarnate in our lives too. How can He be born in you and in me today? What does Mary teach us about surrendering and inviting the Son to be born in our lives?

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Finally, Mary ponders all manner of things --events, people, Scripture, her Son's life, as well as her own practicaly daily life too. In doing so, she invites us to the same.\xa0

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The message of Christmas is at the very least that God has come to dwell with you and with me--within, indeed.

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Let us rejoice, give Him glory, and delight in Him today and forever!

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ABOUT THE GOSPEL SPICE LEADERSHIP TRAINING

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Stephanie mentioned the Winter 2023 Gospel Spice leadership training program in this episode. This free, in-depth resource equips leaders who want to take their leadership skill to the next level. It is free, and has a very small number of available seats. Find more at gospelspice.com/leadership.\xa0

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NEW GOSPELSPICE CHRISTMAS PLAYLIST ON SPOTIFY!

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Enjoy our team's selection of favorite Christ-centered Christmas hymns this season. Search Gospel Spice on Spotify, or click here:\xa0

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https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0S4BcfaOfjg2CGH7VBa8mm?si=grkc-ZS6TBu75sByFPvwfw&nd=1

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(note - there is also a Gospel Spice Worship playlist for all the other months of the year!)

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THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO PARTNER WITH GOSPEL SPICE TODAY!

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First, PAY Gospel Spice Forward: Give a tax-deductible gift so others can experience our ministry for free, just like you! You can pay it forward with any debit, credit card, or via PayPal.\xa0See below for more details about your impact.

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Also, PLAY Gospel Spice Forward: SHARE the podcast and the studies with your friends and family. FOLLOW, RATE & REVIEW on your favorite podcast app (leave a comment + a star rating on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Pandora, IHeart, Google Podcast, etc\u2026). It REALLY is the best way to help others find this content-rich podcast.\xa0

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And, last but not least, PRAY Gospel Spice Forward: We pray for you weekly. We covet your prayers for our ministry, the thousands we reach, and our team! Contact us to let us know you are praying for us!

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NEW!

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Another\xa0way to partner with us is to purchase our workbooks and online Bible studies. We keep them at the lowest possible cost, but they require a lot of work from us!\xa0For example,

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- a complete Bible Study requires an average of 500 man-hours.

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- a workbook for a series requires almost 100 man-hours.

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MORE ABOUT PARTNERING WITH US FINANCIALLY:

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Gospel Spice Ministries is a non-profit organization registered under the tax-exempt 501c3 status.

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Our goal is to provide in-depth, high-quality, free Bible resources for all. They are free, but expensive to create! We need your financial support to keep producing and distributing them. Please pay Gospel Spice forward today! For example, a podcast episode takes close to 10 hours of work (and we release 2 each week). They come to you completely free, but we would truly love your support.

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We want the money to go to those who really need it. Once our operating costs are paid, 100% of your donation is redistributed to our partners who fight human trafficking. Each year, we aim to give as much as we can. For example, Stephanie works more than full time for Gospel Spice, entirely for free. All board members and volunteers are donating time. We limit our operational expenses to the bare minimum.

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Your pay-it-forward donations are tax-deductible under IRS Section 170.

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We want to be the best possible stewards of your financial support. Thank you!

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Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

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The perfect gift for everyone - apparel, drinkware, stickers and more for all the women, men and kids in your life!

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https://www.gospelspice.com/merch

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Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog

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We have a beautiful free gift for you! Receive our 30-day summer prayer guide to guide you through a summer season of bounty, rest, sunshine, fellowship, and growth. All you need to do, is be subscribed to our newsletter to receive it automatically, or go to https://www.gospelspice.com/free\xa0to download it immediately.

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