Let me begin today by saying this: One of my favorite things to do in ministry is ‘leadership development’. Do you guys know what leadership is? Are you familiar with that term? I know that sometimes the leaders of this church think that our time together is just about coffee & scrambled eggs (when we meet for breakfast), but there’s a bigger picture. It’s really about people who love God first and foremost, willing to invest in each other’s lives in order to further God’s kingdom right where they’re at....
The greatest event in history had just occurred. The long-awaited Messiah had been born! For ages the Jews had waited for this day to come; but when it finally happened, the announcement didn’t come through ‘official channels.’ It didn’t come from the palace press corp. It didn’t come through the press secretary for the Sanhedrin—the religious elite of the day. The GOOD NEWS about Jesus’ birth came through some humble 3rd shift shepherds… The GOOD NEWS about Jesus is that he comes to all types of people with his message...
All throughout Advent, we’ve been talking about what the Bible really says about the Journey to Bethlehem and the Nativity—contrary, many times, to what our tradition tells us. Well, it wouldn’t seem right unless we ended up this season the same way … in speaking about the biblical reality of the wise men … or ‘wise guys’ of Christmas, as I like to call them. So, what does the Bible really have to say about the wise men of the Christmas story … and others involved in this part of...
Edgar R. Fiedler was an American economist who served both the Nixon and the Ford presidencies, dying in 2003. Fielder was a rather entertaining sort who at one time came up with what he called “Fiedler’s Forecasting Rules.” Here they are: It is very difficult to forecast, especially about the future. He who lives by the crystal ball soon learns to eat ground glass. The moment you forecast, you know you’re going to be wrong — you just don’t know when and in which direction. If you’re ever right, never...
