If you ask people why we celebrate Christmas, or about the meaning of Christmas, there are three basic answers. “It’s when we celebrate Jesus’ birthday!” “Christmas is a time of giving, peace, and joy.” “Christmas is a time to spend with family and friends, a time of good food, and gifts.” There is truth in … Continue reading Please Meditate On Christmas
sacrifice
Be Still
Yesterday, friends asked if we could get together before Christmas. We checked our calendars, and there was no date between now and Christmas that we both had open. We set a date for Tuesday after Christmas. The holiday season, busy, busy, busy. People tell me it's good to be busy, that way you're not bored. … Continue reading Be Still
Your Cup
When I think of the symbolic Biblical definition of "cup," I think of the phrases "Your lot in life" or "The hand you are delt." But these do not quite fit the bill. Those two phrases address a situation that spans a person's entire life. Yet, sometimes our "cup" can be a temporary situation. Our … Continue reading Your Cup
The Most Important Event In History
We will celebrate history's most important event in a little over a month. Technically, it is two separate events, but they happened the same weekend. Without the first, you cannot have the second; without the second, the first is meaningless. Event number one is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The second is His resurrection. Hundreds … Continue reading The Most Important Event In History
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is upon us. In our family, Thanksgiving is one of the three big holidays; Christmas and Easter are the others. As much of the family as possible gathers for those three holidays. If people cannot attend, Julie and I usually spend another day with them within a week or so of the big celebration. … Continue reading Thanksgiving
Everyone Has A Relationship With God
We interact with people all the time. Some are acquaintances, others are good friends, some are relatives, and others are work colleagues. There are people we love, like, dislike, and maybe even hate. Some people may fall into more than one category; that cousin you do not know well and only see at weddings and … Continue reading Everyone Has A Relationship With God
Our Only Hope
There is only one hope for America. That hope does not rest on the shoulders of a political candidate or party. It rests on the words of an if/then statement written nearly three thousand years ago. "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and … Continue reading Our Only Hope
Seeking A Church Home
Loyalty is one of my attributes. I am loyal to my God, family, church, country, and employer. The list goes on, but those are the main things. You may have noticed that God and church are listed separately. That is because they are not one and the same - the church is not my God, … Continue reading Seeking A Church Home
If Ye Love Me
God loves you. Any doubt of that is disproven in the Bible's most famous verse, John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." God loves you so much that He gave His Son as the sacrificial … Continue reading If Ye Love Me
Please, Think About Christmas for a Minute
Christmas is less than two weeks away. December is always a hectic month for us. Life is busy enough, but December adds school and church programs (and the practices associated with each), work parties, family gatherings, church suppers, and gift shopping, among other things. The weather does not cooperate either; it is usually drab and … Continue reading Please, Think About Christmas for a Minute
Preacher's Point 