Pastors are notorious for their lack of creativity. They are always on the lookout for great material that could be the start of a whole new sermon series or maybe a joke that adds to the presentation of some point that they are trying to make. Nearly four years ago, I stumbled across an article highlighting the five women in Jesus' genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew. This information sparked my imagination. Why did Matthew place these tarnished women in his genealogy? Genealogies were male-driven, recording the father and his son (s). Yet, for some reason, he deliberately ensured that these four women, plus the mother of Jesus, were included. In my research, I came across an article by Subby Szterszky, published by Focus on the Family. She took each of these questionable women and applied their stories to the Advent season. Tamar had Hope. Rahab helped to bring Peace. Ruth shared Joy with others. Bathsheba showed Love. Mary fulfilled promises. Her ideas helped to shape the direction of this book. Thank you, Subby!