My father was born in the Ukraine and spent his first fifteen years there. One Christmas his two older brothers bought a German-made Christmas musical wind-up tree stand for their parents. It was mechanical and played Silent Night. Their gift brought great delight to this family of ten.
Read more..I will never forget my first Christmas as a follower of Christ. I was thousands of miles from home, grieving my mother’s passing, battling my addictions, flat broke, and almost out of hope.
Read more..God knows our own hearts get nicked and scraped and stained by the weariness of life at times. We carry on and do our best. We bolster our courage and find the good. Yet we get tired, and our souls can get dry and parched.
Read more..“Would you mind telling me why you’re so happy?” “Sho,” she said. “Christmas is coming and dat baby Jesus---He make me laugh. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure.” Psalm 16:8-9
Read more..In Matthew 1:23 God called himself Immanuel, which means God with us. Not just God made us,
Read more..Dear one, the simplicity of God’s love, not our eloquence or expertise is what touches a person’s life. Wherever you are, tell someone about God’s love today!Dear one, the simplicity of God’s love, not our eloquence or expertise is what touches a person’s life. Wherever you are, tell someone about God’s love today!
Read more..The wonderful time of Advent is upon us. Unfortunately, it is also a time of busyness when we rush around madly trying to find just the right present for a family member or friend.
Read more..Worship was such an important part of that first Christmas. Do we take the time to worship the Lord during this Christmas season?
Read more..Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room. You have prepared your gift list. You have begun preparing your house for the holidays. Take time to prepare your heart.
Read more..The story of Christmas is the story of God’s love. A love that was willing to give what was most precious to save a dying world. God so loved, that he gave his Son.
Read more..“Grandma, I want a lady pen.” “A lady pen?” I asked. “What is a lady pen? Show me.”
Read more..God in us! Have we sounded the depth of this promise? With God in you, you have a million resources you didn’t have before. Can’t stop worrying? Christ can. And he lives within you. Can’t forget the past, forgive the jerk, or forsake your bad habits? Christ can! And he lives in you.
Read more..The mystery of Christmas requires something we rational humans find most difficult: faith. Not some brain-numbing step into an abyss, but rather that which is described in the New Testament: “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”
Read more..The goal of our walk with Jesus is to come to know him as our shepherd just as intimately as he knows the Father.
Read more..Christmas is coming! There are loved ones to see, gifts to give, baking to share. We prepare our homes for the celebration.
Read more..I recently heard a Jewish man talking about why he wore the skullcap, known as a kipa in the Hebrew language. I was fascinated at his explanation, as it opened my eyes as to another perspective on the birth of Christ.
Read more..“If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw
Read more..If you have suffered or are suffering because of someone else’s words, you’ll be glad to know that there is a balm for this laceration. Read 1 Peter 2:23
Read more..There is relatively little difference between the most ungrateful, wicked people I can think of and me, and I had better be deeply grateful that God is, in fact, "unfair" in this way,
Read more..Oh how she wanted to believe God loved her. But she felt she had no right to ask Him anything. She had never acknowledged Him before. And life had been hard. Choices of others and her own choices had left deep pain and scars on her heart.
Read more..When we are in the middle of a storm, we tend to allow fear of the unknown to grip our hearts – I have been there.
Read more..We live in a scary world. One of the hardest things I have to do is to let go and let God. I want to run my world, my way and on my schedule. Relax and remember that God is in control.
Read more..The hope of the gospel is a blessed hope, uniquely tied to the resurrection of Christ from the dead and His return. This hope is much different than wishful thinking, positive thinking, or religious thinking that is not based upon the Word of God.
Read more..Part of the work God does to grow us and change us is by testing through various trials. On the other hand, some of the changing work He does in our lives is quiet and gentle as He asks us to willingly bend our hearts to the work He is doing.
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