There is no time of the year … like this time of the year. During this Christmas season, it seems that ordinary space and time are taken over by a sense of wonder and reverence and glee. And even though Christmastime is often filled with extra busyness and sometimes stress, at the heart of the season … is JOY. And that is as it should be… Christmas is meant to be a celebration of the One who came to give us life and to set us free! And that’s a...
As I think about this time of year, I can’t help but think of children and Christmas morning. There’s nothing like witnessing the look of pure joy on a kid’s face as they un-wrap gifts on Christmas morning. You know how it goes: We parents stand by and watch, cameras rolling, as the screams and giggles and signs of awe begin; and before you can hardly blink twice, there’s a mountain of beautiful wrapping paper in the middle of the floor, shredded paper and debris littering the carpet…. BUT let’s...
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but...
Folks, where have we been during this Season of Lent? Let me refresh your memory. In following The Way: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus, we first went to: The Jordan River near Jericho … where Jesus was baptized… The Judean Wilderness … where Jesus was tempted for 40 days and nights… His home-base of Capernaum … where Jesus healed the sick (amongst other things)… Walked with him (and Gail) up the mountains … where Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God… Sailed with Jesus across the Sea of Galilee...
Jesus absolutely loved the Sea of Galilee! Did you know that? It’s mentioned in the Gospels more than forty times! And Jesus gets in and out of boats nearly as many times… Then again, at other times, we’ll see Jesus walking on the lake shore. It’s not hard to imagine why this is. The Sea of Galilee is absolutely captivating… When I have a day off—in good weather—one of Jane’s and my favorite things to do is to take our lawn chairs, a picnic lunch, and some reading material …...
Folks, in the Christian faith, we believe in a Triune God—the Trinity … Father, Son, AND Holy Spirit—though many would love to just not talk about that last part of God. But, if we’re never talking about the Spirit of God, we’re leaving out at least 1/3 of the equation of God, aren’t we? Now, here are some things I’ve noticed when it comes to talking about the Holy Spirit in church… For FANS, it’s kind of like the old Sesame Street song: “One of these things just doesn’t belong...
A few weeks ago, I spoke about what it means to believe in Jesus and to accept his invitation to become a member of his household. Today we will take a very high-level look at the next step, which I am calling “Training to Know Jesus”. We could easily spend 30 hours on this topic! My goal today is to present some new ideas, which will give you food for thought. I will be sharing: a. What “knowing Jesus” means to me. b. How the message from Hebrews has...
So, what’s the big deal about Advent? Two words: Black Friday (and some of you thought I was going to say, ‘Pepper Spray’)! Today, folks, it seems that Halloween is now the new unofficial beginning of the Christmas season! Yet somehow, even though we’ve extended the season of Christmas, we’ve also moved further away from the real meaning of Christmas… Christmas, all too often today, seems like an orgy of overindulgence. Many families go into debt to make sure their children have “enough” under the tree at Christmas … and...
Several years ago, there was a Gallup poll taken where Americans were asked ‘who do you think Jesus is?" Here are the results: 70% of those interviewed said Jesus was not just another man. 42% stated Jesus was God among men. 27% felt Jesus was only human but divinely called. 9% states Jesus was divine because he embodied the best of humanity. Along with that it was discovered that 81% of Americans consider themselves to be Christians (Gallup Poll, 1983.) … even considering the results of this survey! So, who...
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