The Night the Angels Came

This is the debut illustration project for Jerome Wisehart. He and his family live in southern Illinois. Mr. Wisehart holds an art degree from Rend Lake College, where he earned the President's Award in 2010. Mr. Wisehart's illustrations reflect the faces of Mrs. Herzing's grandchildren, which is not surprising, since Jerome Wisehart is Mrs. Herzing's son-in-law. In the Bible stories we teach our children, the characters sometimes seem larger than life. David conquered Goliath. Moses parted the Sea. Noah built an ark before there were raindrops. Yes, they were special and chosen by God for special purposes, but different from us? Well, no. They were regular people that heard God's calling and choose to be obedient. The same is true of the shepherds in the Christmas story. God chose the shepherds to be the first to lavish adoration on the newborn Jesus. Real people, encountering God's messengers, and living out their faith in the middle of the night – that's what this story is all about. Let us imagine we are sitting by the fire with the shepherds, and see the Christmas story from the shepherd's point of view. Nancy Herzing lives in southern Illinois with her husband, Jim. Mrs. Herzing wears many hats, but "Grammy" is her favorite title. She is a self-proclaimed mother hen and refers to the times when the entire family is together as "gathering up the chickies." An accountant by education, Mrs. Herzing writes as a creative outlet. She believes that the people in the Bible were real people, and her writing is an attempt to humanize the Bible characters and to make them more approachable. You can email Nancy Herzing at info@nancyherzing.com or visit her website at nancyherzing.com