I'm the answer to your prayer. That's why I was sent down here. ~ Clarence the Angel, after George tells him "I got a bust in the jaw in answer to a prayer." When George Bailey sidles up to Martini's Bar on Christmas Eve, he's at the lowest point of his life. In the span of only a few hours, he has: - learned that the Bailey Building and Loan has lost eight thousand dollars just as the state's bank examiner shows up;
- all but threatened to kill Uncle Billy, who has apparently lost the money;
- estranged himself from the people he loves most, Mary and the kids;
- heard from old man Potter that a warrant is out for his arrest; and
- had his desperate plea for a loan turned down by Potter, the man with whom his family has struggled for decades.
Against that backdrop, he's had enough drinks to cause Martini's assistant, Nick, to soon ask if he wants a ride home. An obviously concerned Martini will ask why George is drinking so much and encourage him to go home and spend Christmas Eve with his family. But first, George does something he admits he does not want to do: he prays. "Dear Father in Heaven," he begins. "I'm not a praying man, but if You're up there, and You can hear me, show me the way. I'm at the end of my rope. I… Show me the way, God." Whereupon a man next to him at the bar, a Mr. Welch (no relation), learns that he is George Bailey and proceeds to coldcock him with a right jab in defense of his wife the schoolteacher, whom George had berated on the phone. As he composes himself after the knockdown, George mutters, "That's what I get for praying." No, what he gets for praying is Clarence — and a new lease on life. |
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In the movie's opening scene, the angels Franklin and Joseph are hearing the prayers of townspeople — Mr. Gower, Martini, and Ernie — and family members: George's mother, Mary, Janie, and Zuzu. "A lot of people are asking for help for a man named George Bailey," says Joseph. But it's clear that the angels have heard the prayers of George, too, and know his muddled mind-set. Franklin knows, for example, that George will be standing on that snow-swept bridge at 10:45 p.m. and "thinking seriously of throwing away God's greatest gift" — "Oh, dear, dear! His life!" chimes in Clarence. He couldn't have known that based only on the prayers of the others. And in George and Clarence's first conversation, as they dry out in the bridge tollhouse, the angel is up front about why he's come. "Your lip's bleeding, George." "Yeah, I got a bust in the jaw in answer to a prayer a little bit ago." "Oh, no, no, no, George, I'm the answer to your prayer," says Clarence. "That's why I was sent down here." Not that George buys into that without some very serious proof on the part of Clarence; he has the doubt gene of the disciple Thomas. But after George is shown life without him having lived it, after nobody recognizes him, after Mary runs away from him and Bert the cop fires shots toward him — he comes to his second moment of desperation, the first, of course, being the bar scene. And what does he do? He prays again. "Clarence! Clarence! Help me, Clarence. Get me back. Get me back. I don't care what happens to me. Only get me back to my wife and kids. Help me, Clarence, please! Please! I want to live again." And what happens? The snow begins to fall. Zuzu's petals return to his pocket. And hope returns to the soul of a man who, only a short time earlier, was prepared to commit suicide. That, not the punch from the schoolteacher's husband, is George's answer to prayer: the will to live again. - We've all been on that bridge of despair at some point in our lives. The answer isn't looking down at the waters below, but looking up at the heavens above.
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Sometimes the answers to our prayers look entirely different from anything we would have expected! Have you ever received an answer to prayer through a low point in your life that, as it did for George Bailey, may have at first seemed like "a bust in the jaw"? God's faithfulness sometimes comes in unexpected packages! ~ Devotionals Daily |
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Inspirational Reflections for the Christmas Season (A 52-Day Devotional for Advent) – The Perfect Christian Gift for the Holiday Season |
52 Little Lessons from It's a Wonderful Life |
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CYBER WEEK DEALS: Free Shipping + $10 off orders of $45 or more with code CYBER10 |
Enrich your holidays with little reminders about the things that matter most in life. If George and Mary Bailey are annual guests at your home every winter, you already know that It's a Wonderful Life is more than just a holiday tradition--it's a powerful reminder that our lives can change everyone around us, for better or worse. But what can this Christmas classic teach us about our everyday lives? 52 Little Lessons from It's a Wonderful Life will change the way you think about this holiday staple, from the lightheartedness of George and Mary's floor-parting dance to the poignancy of a community that rallies to save a desperate man, Bob Welch's 52 Little Lessons from It's a Wonderful Life will inspire you to live for the things that matter most. |
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Welch invites you to revisit the defining lessons in Frank Capra's 1946 classic and discover new dimensions of the film you've seen time and again, including: - What can we all learn from Mary's quiet contentedness?
- Can George's selflessness make you rethink your own priorities?
- What impact do we have on the people around us?
Join Welch for a close-up of the characters and themes that shape this timeless story of resilience and redemption. You'll be reminded that life's most important work is often the work we never planned to do, that God can use the most unlikely among us to get the job done, and that grace is the greatest gift we can possibly give. |
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52 Little Lessons from A Christmas Carol: Inspirational Reflections for the Advent Season |
CYBER WEEK DEALS: Free Shipping + $10 off orders of $45 or more with code CYBER10 |
How do we learn life lessons from a grumpy penny-pincher so unpleasant that dogs run from him on sight? Does Scripture suggest we all have a touch of Scrooge in us? Can we all benefit from reexamining who we've become in our own life stories? Bestselling author Bob Welch invites us to discover these questions and more in 52 Little Lessons from A Christmas Carol. Join Welch as he takes you deeper into the nuances of this timeless story by Charles Dickens. From the stinginess of Scrooge to the innocence of Tiny Tim, the biblically based devotions in 52 Little Lessons from A Christmas Carol will inspire you to live for what really matters--not only at Christmas, but all year long. |
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The GREAT Morning Revolution Online Bible Study |
The GREAT Morning Revolution Online Bible Study |
Change your entire day by how you start your morning. In The Great Morning Revolution with Tara Beth Leach, you'll go from scattered to spiritually centered—before the day begins. Using the GREAT framework—Gratitude, Reflect, Exalt, Ask, Trust—you'll build a gentle, flexible morning practice to deepen your relationship with God Join The Great Morning Revolution Online Bible Study and get access to six teaching videos and other helpful tools—all FREE when you sign up! |
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this devotion with someone who needs it today |
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