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Where’s the Joy This Christmas?
The weather has turned chilly. The sky is mostly overcast. Raindrops splatter the ground, as though someone forgot to turn off the sprinkler. December feels sorrowful.
Christmas Rest
As a boy I delivered newspapers in order to earn money. Since it was a morning newspaper, I was required to get up at 3:00 every morning, 7 days a week, in order to have all 140 of my papers delivered to their appropriate homes by 6:00 a.m.
But one day each year was different. We would deliver the Christmas morning newspaper on Christmas Eve—meaning that Christmas was the only morning of the year I could sleep in and rest like a normal person.
Over the years, I came to appreciate Christmas for many reasons, but one that was special in those…
What if there was no Christ in Christmas?
There was once a farmer who thought that the idea of God becoming a baby was absurd. His wife, however, was the opposite. She was a Christian and put her faith in the baby who was born that first Christmas.
God is With Us
On Christmas Eve in 1968, Apollo VIII became the first manned vehicle to circle the moon. Because it was nearly Christmas, the 3-man crew was asked to say something appropriate to mark their historic mission. From thousands of miles in outer space, Genesis 1:1-10 was broadcast to earth: “In the beginning God . . .” In his autobiography Countdown, Frank Bowman, one of the three Apollo VIII astronauts, explains why they read from the Scriptures: “There was one more impression we wanted to transmit: our feeling of closeness to the Creator of all things.”
Why I Set Up A Christmas Tree Every year
I’m fussy when it comes to Christmas trees. I like mine a certain way—no less than six feet (1.8m) tall, boughs filled out with green needly foliage, handmade ornaments, and twinkling (not flashing!) lights.
Baby Boy
A baby boy. That’s how God chose to save the world. It was God’s plan to send His Son in the flesh, and it’s His plan to affect every one of us through this gift. So trust in His purpose, no matter what your role, because He loves you so.
How to Be Perfect
Christmas is the time of year when the pressure to be perfect intensifies. We imagine the perfect celebration and then put forth our best effort to make it happen. We shop for the perfect gifts. We plan the perfect Christmas Day meal. We choose the perfect greeting cards or write the perfect family letter. But our striving leads to discouragement and disappointment when our ability to imagine perfection exceeds our ability to implement it. The carefully chosen gift receives only a halfhearted thank you. Part of the meal is overcooked. We find a typo in our Christmas greeting after we’ve…
Has Christmas Been Tamed?
Whenever I see advertisements about clothing, cosmetics, or electronic items which use Christmas to promote sales, I feel disturbed. I feel the same whenever I hear “Christmas songs” being played in department stores
5 things I Want for Christmas
Christmas is a special time of the year for many people. Whenever December comes, I often hear my friends express their desires for this season, such as:
For God So Loved
Christmas is a time of wonder. It’s a time when people from all nations can join together and ponder the humble birth of a baby who came to earth as part of God’s plan. And it was simply because He loved us.
What Christmas Is All About
Fifty years ago A Charlie Brown Christmas was first broadcast on American television. Some network executives thought it would be ignored, while others worried that quoting the Bible would offend viewers. Some wanted its creator, Charles Schulz, to omit the Christmas story, but Schulz insisted it stay in. The program was an immediate success and has been rebroadcast every year since 1965.
When Charlie Brown, the frustrated director of the children’s Christmas play, is discouraged by the commercial spirit of the holiday season, he asks if anyone can tell him the real meaning of Christmas. Linus recites Luke 2:8-14 including the words, “For…
5 Ways Not to Share about Christmas
Ah, it’s Christmas! A perfect time to mark a significant date with brothers and sisters in Christ. A perfect time to share the gospel and tell people about the love of God that sent His Son down to earth to save us from our sins.
God With Us
No matter what you face in life, the decisions you make determine the course of your journey. Where can you find clear direction to help you make wise choices? In God With Us, author Alice Mathews examines the decisions made by Eve and Mary that continue to impact the world from generation to generation. Discover from […]
Jesus works through the most unlikely people
Most people think of a “shepherd” as being a male figure. Yet in reality, tending and herding sheep is often a job done by women and children. Today on “Discover the Word,” our special guest Margaret Feinberg discuss how shepherds were—and are—often marginalized. And so while living on the fringe of society, isn’t it amazing that shepherds were included as main players at our Savior’s birth?
Out Of Egypt
One year when our family was traveling through Ohio on the way to Grandma’s house, we arrived in Columbus just as a tornado warning was issued. Suddenly everything changed as we feared that our children might be in danger.
