It's time for Bella's happily ever after. From the point of Bella's vampire transformation, we get a glimpse of what her immortal life will look like. She's got the beauty and power she's always longed for, equal to Edward. She's got the perfect little cottage in the woods to call home. She's surrounded by a loving family. And most especially, she's got forever with the one she loves.

In the final twilightened lesson, we investigate what forever will look like for followers of Christ. The Bible gives us some clues about our immortal bodies, about our new home, about others that will be there, and most importantly, about living forever with the one we love.

Check out Lesson Eight: Immortal on the lessons page.

Who's a monster and who's not? Careful! Before you try to answer that question as it involves the characters in the Twilight universe, you need to be ready to look beyond the obvious. The Twilight Saga is peopled with vampires and werewolves and humans. You'd think the answer would be simple - the vampires and the werewolves are the monsters, right?

Throughout the saga, we meet characters that struggle with what they are. They seek to overcome their monster nature. We've examined this, in particular, in relation to Edward; but many of the others also grapple with this tension between what they are and what they want to be.

In Breaking Dawn, we meet another such character. His name is Nahuel, a vampire/human hybrid that travels from South America to meet the only other hybrid he's ever heard of that isn't related to him. During Nahuel's birth, he destroyed his own mother, so he's shocked when he sees Bella . . . alive, after having given birth to Renesmee.

This is the story of how a man, full of self-loathing, with the self-imposed label of "monster," reacts when his perspective is challenged. Check out this new lesson on the Lessons Page.

Bella was about as well-prepared as any human could be for her transition to immortality. Her in-laws, the Cullens, shared many cautionary tales; she'd experienced the horror of the Volturi taking innocent lives; she'd encountered a tracker and his vengeful mate. Her overriding fear is that her life as a newborn would be wild and uncontrolled.

Upon awakening into her new life, Bella is extraordinarily composed. The Cullens watch in amazement as she cautiously discovers her new body and her new strength. She's able to hold her daughter and even interact with her father. The intense attraction she had for Edward in her old life is uninterrupted and magnified. Perhaps her self-control and her passion for Edward are her special vampire abilities.

Bella's euphoria with her new life is suddenly threatened by an encounter that triggers an epic confrontation with the entire Volturi Guard. Irina, of the Denali coven, happens to see Bella, Jacob, and Renesmee out hunting and mistakes Renesmee for an immortal child. She travels to Italy to inform the Volturi, not realizing they are waiting anxiously for any opportunity to destroy the Cullens.

Tipped off by Alice, the Cullens prepare by assembling a body of witnesses to attest that Renesmee indeed grows and changes and doesn't pose a threat. It's in the midst of this group of supporters that Bella discovers her true gift.

Lesson Six: Gifted takes an in-depth look at the special abilities of the vampires, and how, in the family of Christ, you also have special gifts bestowed by the Spirit. Gifted is now available on the lessons page.

Carlisle Cullen has built his entire philosophy as a "vegetarian vampire" on his respect for human life. Abstaining from human blood himself, and encouraging the same from his family, sets him apart from the majority of the vampire world. Even in facing the frightening prospect of an attack of newborns in which Jasper suggests that drinking human blood would make the Cullens stronger, Carlisle unflinchingly reminds his family that they won't change who they are. The very essence of the Cullens' identity is about giving life, protecting life - not taking it away.

In Breaking Dawn, a very different problem arises to challenge the Cullens' pro-life resolve: Bella is pregnant. Edward and most of his family can see the horrific episode that will play out if the pregnancy continues. The "fetus" is most certainly a monster that grows supernaturally quickly and will obliterate Edward's new bride in the process. It can't be allowed to live.

Primed by a series of dreams in which she sees a beautiful little boy, hopelessly surrounded by the threatening Volturi, Bella immediately connects the "nudger" in her belly with the boy from the dreams. She turns desperately to Rosalie for help, because she knows Rosalie would do anything to have a baby of her own. Rosalie and Esme form an alliance with Bella in which they resolve to protect Bella and the baby even from their own husbands.

Jacob calls Bella the "classic martyr" who always loves the wrong things. He knows without being told that Bella will want to give her own life in exchange for the child's. And he is mostly right; but Bella has an ace up her sleeve - she believes that Edward will be able to transform her into a vampire to save her life.

This turns out to be that rare pregnancy where the life of the mother is threatened. That one that even the most ardent pro-lifers would say is the case where an abortion would be warranted.

Bella knows this is her only chance of having a baby with Edward. She resolves to have this child - his perfect, green-eyed child. Although Bella's never had a maternal instinct, she suddenly can't think of not having a baby . . . this baby. She envisions the child from her dreams and realizes the undeniable urge to protect his life at all costs begins now.

Lesson Five in the study, twilightened:BD edition, centers on the issue of life. In it, we investigate where the Biblical perspective about the sacredness of human life originates. We look at four foundational thoughts that shape the view that every unborn child is a life worth protecting. The lesson is now available on the twilightened lessons page.

I've been wanting to write about Leah Clearwater for a while. Something about that girl just grabbed my heart when I read Breaking Dawn. And it was really looking like she and Jacob were going to get together there for a while. I think that would have been cool. Seems like they would have been good for each other. Stephenie Meyer had something else in mind for Jacob.

But what about Leah? Will she forever be a dead-end?

I started this character study of Leah by taking a deep look at all the losses she had suffered. There were a lot! Then I looked at how she reacted to all that pain. It sure wasn't pretty. No one could stand to be around her.

When Jacob is finally forced to pay attention to her and try to figure out what makes her tick, he begins to understand the reasons for her awful behavior. She laments that she must be a genetic dead-end. She's undesirable, unwanted, stuck in the past, and not looking forward to the future.

Something happens that changes Leah's life. It alleviates her pain enough for her to look around and see that she has it in her to comfort others who are in pain.

Look at the new lesson, Dead-End, to see how Leah gets turned around. Check it out on the Lessons Page.

San Diego Comic Con 2008 is where the madness began, according the the Twilight cast. They had spent a few freezing cold, wet, and uncomfortable months filming in the Portland, Oregon area earlier in the year, thinking they were making a small, indie film. While they were filming, a new fandom was starting to explode. It wasn't until the cast's arrival at Comic Con to a crowd of thousands of screaming fans, that they realized the magnitude of their new venture. The behind-stage footage from that event documents just how unprepared they were for this phenomenon.

Fast-forward to SD Comic Con 2012, set to open tomorrow. The Q and A panel in Hall H with the Breaking Dawn cast promises to be a packed venue, with some fans having camped out for their spots since Sunday. Teasers of a special appearance to the campers tonight at 9 p.m. and new BD footage in Hall H has fans in a frenzy. Fans have flown in from all over the world to be present for the last Twilight Saga hurrah at Comic Con.

This marks the start of a promotional campaign leading up to the final saga film.

What has Summit given us so far? Teaser posters of Jacob, Edward, and a vampire Bella. A beautiful layout in Entertainment Weekly focusing on Renesmee and how she and her parents look as a little family. A trailer with vampire Bella in action mode and glimpses of the international covens.

Fans have waited patiently (or not) to see this final installment of the Twilight franchise. Splitting the final novel into two adaptations and spreading them out by a year is a bit of a risk by Summit; but it looks as though the fans are sticking with it and will be there to support it to the end.

A lot has happened with the cast in the year since they filmed the final installment: a wedding, a new baby, and more great, new honors and films for many of them. Twilight has been the launching pad for so many of them, and we wish them the best as they all move on to new things. For now, we hope they'll enjoy their reunion as they promote this film.

On a tragic note, I want to extend my condolences to the family and friends of Gisela, a fan who was camping out in San Diego for this year's Comic Con. She was struck by a car in front of the convention center yesterday and died as a result of her injuries. Her memory will be honored with a moment of silence in Hall H during the BD panel tomorrow.

Jacob's been keeping a secret from Bella. She only finds out because Edward hears it in the minds of the wolfpack. Jacob is second in command to Sam's Alpha; Bella calls him the Beta. It seems that Jacob  actually has the lineage to lead the Quileute tribe, but he's reluctant to step up. It's probably best, though, because Jacob has some maturing to do before he's ready for a leadership role.

But something happens that causes Jacob to snap and decide he wasn't born to be enslaved to another's rule. Jacob finally takes ownership of his birthright.

In Lesson Three of twilightened: BD edition, we explore Jacob's journey from pack member to leader and apply what we learn about being an effective leader. The lesson is now available on the Twilightened Lessons Page.