“Why does a baby born 2000 years ago in a barn to a poor Jewish teenage girl continue to captivate hearts and minds even today?”

While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:6-7



EB and I, with the help of a translator, were able to share with a group of Czech students about the real meaning of Christmas.

Thanks for praying for us and encouraging us on our recent trip to the Czech Republic. It was a privilege to be able to share the Christmas story and the gospel to a group of college students who have grown up largely ignorant of the story and message behind the religious symbols.

We were there as guests of an evangelical Czech ministry called KVZ which is run and staffed by Czechs. This ministry is similar to Campus Crusade and has its roots with Campus Crusade but it is separate from our ministry. Even in this statistically atheistic country, God has His people in place who are proclaiming His excellencies. The wonderful KVZ staff were very hospitable to EB and me and they are taking care of the follow-up from our outreach.

I laid out the Christmas story from Matthew chapters 1 and 2 and Luke 2 as if I was telling a story. I was introducing characters, recounting what they said, and what their words and actions meant. It was a perfect lead in to sharing the gospel. “Why does a baby born 2000 years ago in a barn to a poor Jewish teenage girl continue to captivate hearts and minds even today?”

EB was able to share how we as a family observe and celebrate the Christian message of Christmas in our home. It would have been something most every Christian family in America could relate to but it was new and different for most of these Czech students. What made it even more relevant was that EB shared about her own Czech heritage and how her great-grandfather had immigrated to Kansas from a town not far from Brno.

These are some of the Czech students who attended.

When we had a Q & A time, most of the questions were about the genealogy tables found early on in both Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospel. It was a very precise and analytical group of students yet they were cordial and friendly audience.

Before we spoke we went out for dinner to an authentic Czech restaurant. I thought I ordered a potato pasta dish yet this is what I got. I recognized cabbage and onions. And on the right was some meat with fur still attached. However, I still ate it. Not sure what it was though.

In the public square of Brno, Czech we visited their Christmas market. Christmas markets are a very popular holiday tradition across Europe. A Christmas market is a series of outdoor little wooden kiosks selling all things related to the holidays, from Christmas ornaments to hot wine.

We found this guy selling flasks that looked like ram’s horns. He looked just like an extra off the set of "Lord of the Rings." He didn’t speak a word of English but he didn’t mind posing for a picture with EB.