Hi!

Welcome back to Strong And Courageous, today we have a very special guest and we are doing a special christmas episode.

Amaya is joining us and she will share with us what Christmas means.

Enjoy.

We’ve been counting down, preparing our hearts, and today we finally arrive at the greatest moment in history.

The angel said to the shepherds:

“I bring you good news of great joy…

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord!”

This is Christmas.

Not the presents…

Not the lights…

Not the music or the decorations…

Christmas is Jesus — God’s greatest gift to the world.

The Savior has come.

Hope has a name.

Joy has arrived.

Love has shown up in a manger.

Jesus came for the broken.

Jesus came for the hurting.

Jesus came for YOU.

So today, slow down.

Take a deep breath.

Look at the lights.

Look at the nativity.

Remember what it all means.

God loved you so much that He sent His Son to rescue you, to walk with you, to save you, and to bring you life forever.

Merry Christmas, Strong & Courageous family!

Welcome back to our Christmas countdown! Today we’re slowing things down and looking at someone who was right in the middle of the Christmas story — Mary.

After the shepherds arrived, after the angels sang, after all the excitement and noise, Scripture tells us something simple but powerful:

“But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.”

Mary didn’t rush past the moment.

She didn’t ignore what God was doing.

She stopped… and she treasured it.

She held onto the miracle.

She thought about God’s faithfulness.

She remembered what He had promised — and how He was keeping every word.

This reminds us of something important:

Christmas isn’t just about rushing from one thing to the next.

Sometimes God invites us to pause.

To reflect.

To treasure what He’s doing in our lives.

So today, take a moment.

Think about what God has done this year.

Where He’s helped you.

Where He’s shown up.

Where He’s been faithful — even in hard moments.

Let’s be like Mary and treasure it.

Let’s pray:

Jesus, help us slow down and notice You. Thank You for all the ways You’ve been faithful. We want to treasure what You’re doing in our hearts this Christmas. Amen.

Welcome to Day 13 of our Advent journey! Christmas is almost here, and today we’re talking about the wise men — travelers from far away who followed a star because they were searching for the newborn King.

These men were smart, wealthy, respected… but even with everything they had, they knew something was missing.

They needed Jesus.

They traveled miles and miles across deserts and mountains.

They didn’t give up.

They didn’t stop when it got hard.

They followed the light, step by step, until it led them to Jesus.

And when they found Him, they bowed.

They worshiped.

They opened their treasures and gave Him their best gifts.

The wise men teach us this:

If you look for Jesus, you will always find Him.

If you seek Him, He will show Himself to you.

Jesus never hides from a heart that is searching for Him.

So today, ask yourself:

“What am I giving Jesus this Christmas? My time? My worship? My heart?”

Let’s pray:

Jesus, we want to seek You like the wise men did. Help us give You our best and follow You wherever You lead. Amen.

Welcome back to Day 12 of our Christmas countdown! Today we’re following the shepherds — the ordinary, everyday people who got the extraordinary news that Jesus was born.

After the angels disappeared and the sky grew quiet again, the shepherds looked at each other and said something powerful:

“Let’s go to Bethlehem. Let’s go and see this thing the Lord has told us about!”

They didn’t wait.

They didn’t overthink it.

They didn’t say, “Eh, maybe tomorrow.”

They hurried.

They ran.

They went straight to Jesus.

When they found Him lying in the manger, everything changed. Their fear turned into joy. Their confusion turned into celebration. Their quiet night turned into a story they couldn’t stop sharing.

And here’s the message for us today:

Christmas is an invitation to come closer to Jesus.

Not just to talk about Him…

Not just to hear about Him…

But to go and see for ourselves who He really is.

So today, take a moment and go to Him — in prayer, in worship, in thankfulness.

Let’s pray:

Jesus, thank You for inviting us to come close. Help us hurry toward You just like the shepherds did. Amen.

Welcome to Day 11 of our Christmas countdown! Today we meet the shepherds — ordinary, overlooked, humble people just doing their job out in the fields.

And suddenly…

the sky exploded with light.

Angels appeared.

And the very first announcement of Christmas came to THEM.

Not to kings.

Not to religious leaders.

Not to the rich or powerful.

God chose shepherds.

The angels said,

“Do not be afraid… I bring you good news of great joy for ALL people.”

Christmas is for everyone —

the happy, the hurting, the lonely, the joyful, the tired, the excited, the stressed…

everyone.

If you ever feel like you’re not good enough or important enough, remember the shepherds.

God sees you.

God chooses you.

God invites you.

Let’s pray:

God, thank You for announcing the birth of Jesus to ordinary people. Help us remember that Your love is for everyone — including us. Amen.

Welcome to Day 10 of our Strong & Courageous Christmas Countdown! We are getting SO close to Christmas now, and today’s story might seem like a tiny detail… but it carries one of the BIGGEST truths of Christmas.

Luke 2 tells us that when Mary and Joseph finally arrived in Bethlehem — tired, exhausted, and far from home — there was no room for them.

No room at the inn.

No extra space.

No warm bed.

No one saying, “Come in, we saved a spot for you.”

Every door was shut.

Every option was gone.

Every place they tried said “there’s no room.”

So the Savior of the world — the King of Kings — entered the world in the humblest place possible:

A stable.

A barn.

A place that smelled like animals and hay.

He wasn’t laid in a fancy crib.

He was placed in a manger — a feeding trough.

This wasn’t an accident.

This wasn’t a mistake.

This was God’s message to the world:

👉 “I show up in the places you least expect.

I come close to people who feel forgotten.”

Christmas teaches us this powerful truth:

God doesn’t wait for perfect moments, perfect people, or perfect settings. He meets us right in the middle of the ordinary… and even in the middle of the messy.

Maybe this Christmas you feel overlooked.

Maybe you feel like you don’t really fit.

Maybe things feel heavy, confusing, or not what you hoped for.

listen — Jesus gets it.

He started His life in a place that felt too small, too simple, too forgotten.

And He did that so you would know:

✨ There is no place too low for God to reach you.

✨ There is no situation too messy for God to step into.

✨ There is no heart too broken for God to make room in.

The world said, “There’s no room.”

But God said, “I’m coming anyway.”

Welcome to Day 9 of our Christmas Advent journey! Today we’re talking about the long, uncomfortable, difficult journey Mary and Joseph took to Bethlehem.

Imagine this:

You’re nine months pregnant…

There are no cars, no planes, no smooth roads…

And the government suddenly says, “You must travel to your hometown.”

Mary and Joseph packed up and started walking.

Miles and miles.

Day after day.

All the way to Bethlehem.

It probably felt stressful.

It probably felt exhausting.

But God was guiding every step.

Because the prophecy said the Savior would be born in Bethlehem — and God uses even annoying things (like a census!) to fulfill His plan.

Christmas reminds us of this truth:

Even when life feels inconvenient, God is working behind the scenes.

So if you’re stressed this season, or things aren’t going like you expected, remember Mary and Joseph’s journey.

Let’s pray:

Jesus, help us trust You when life feels difficult or confusing. Thank You for guiding our steps just like You guided Mary and Joseph. Amen.

Joseph: Trusting God Even When It Didn’t Make Sense

Have you ever been in a situation where things didn’t make sense, but you had to trust someone anyway?

That’s what happened to Joseph.

Joseph had plans for his life. He was engaged to Mary, he was working hard, and he probably thought he knew exactly how his future would go. But suddenly everything changed. Mary was expecting a baby—God’s Son—and Joseph didn’t know what to do. None of it made sense.

Then God sent an angel to speak to Joseph in a dream. The angel told him:

“Do not be afraid… this child is from the Holy Spirit.”

Joseph didn’t get all the answers.

He didn’t get a step-by-step explanation.

He simply got a message from God:

“Trust Me.”

And Joseph did.

He trusted God enough to stay with Mary.

He trusted God enough to protect Jesus.

He trusted God enough to keep listening—even when the angel told him to leave in the middle of the night to escape danger.

Joseph shows us something huge:

👉 Trusting God means believing He’s working—even when we can’t see the whole picture.

Kids and teens face moments like that too:

• When a friendship changes

• When a family situation is confusing

• When something feels scary or unexpected

• When God asks them to do something brave

Joseph’s story reminds us that we can trust God’s heart even when we don’t understand God’s plan.

He sees what we cannot see.

He knows what we don’t know.

And He is always working for our good.

Today’s Strong & Courageous truth:

⭐ God can be trusted—even when the path doesn’t make sense.

Today’s challenge:

Think of one thing in your life right now that feels confusing or uncertain. Pray and say,

“God, I trust You with this.”

God honored Joseph’s trust… and He’ll honor yours too.

Welcome to Day 6 of our Christmas countdown! Today we’re talking about one of the most incredible moments in the Christmas story — when the angel Gabriel visited a young girl named Mary.

Mary wasn’t a queen.

She wasn’t wealthy.

She wasn’t important to the world.

But she was chosen by God.

Gabriel told her she would give birth to the Savior — Jesus. And even though it was scary… even though she didn’t understand everything… Mary said one simple word:

“Yes.”

That “yes” changed history.

That “yes” brought Jesus into the world.

That “yes” is the heartbeat of Christmas.

When you see a Christmas nativity and Mary holding baby Jesus, remember:

God uses people with obedient hearts.

God uses people who say, “Lord, I’m Yours.”

Today, ask yourself:

“What is God asking me to say yes to?”

God, thank You for Mary’s obedience. Give us the courage to trust You and say yes, even when things don’t make sense. Amen.