“When we stay focused on Jesus and his Word and love each other sincerely, we have the best protection against allowing something else to be an idol in our lives. Our gratitude for the many gifts God has given us will keep the Grinch from stealing Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any other day of joy.”

Only few saw the newborn King face-to-face, but his prayer is that one day all of us will see him and know God’s glory.

My entire working life has been either as a professor in a Christian college or the preacher of a local church. It seems axiomatic that I would model faith in both of those contexts. But sometimes what we think is “axiomatic” may be a cover-up for what is utterly missing.

Are we willing to let our desires, our passions, our definitions of what is right truly die? According to Jesus, that is the path to both eternal life and receiving honor from our Heavenly Father.

Despite the time, energy, and money we give to choosing and announcing names, this only hints at why God thinks your name is important.

Admit God is God, admit he is good and good all the time, and admit his love is permanent. It isn’t going anywhere. We can depend on him every day and in every situation, the good, the tough, and even the terrible.

Many people quote the Bible, even when they don’t realize it. But the truth that will set us free may not match the “truth” they want when they quote one verse.

He had given his whole life on behalf of this one, but still he doubted if he was THE One. We can relate.

“Come and see” is an invitation for our time. But if someone responds to such words from us, what will they find?

Sometimes we fail to listen. Sometimes we only consume and fail to act. In a few sentences, James challenges us to correct both errors.

It’s okay if you feel like you need to educate God the next time he gives you an assignment. But after you tell him everything you think he needs to understand, go ahead and do what he asked you to do. You might just be witness to another of God’s transformational miracles!

I love my routines. But Isaiah reminds us that God is doing a new thing, a new thing Jesus has ushered in for us to experience today.

Even though we may feel overwhelmed by the burdens of grief we see all around us, we can extend the grace of Jesus to the mourners in our lives.

Wouldn’t it be great if we just knew how everything would turn out? But we don’t. And the disciples didn’t. But Jesus does.

Paul gives some valuable instruction about roles in the church we may not discuss enough. What should older men and women do to keep a church healthy?

Jesus was not the hero wanted and expected by those who first encountered him. But he accomplished his purpose in ways no one would have anticipated.

We all probably want the ones we love and, frankly, ourselves to be among the mature, because maturity brings the best chance at a healthy and purposeful life.

Although there’s nothing new about evil, facing it fresh every day threatens to overwhelm us. The psalmist can relate. God understands.

With each new generation there seems to be a higher expectation that any and everything should be instant. But as I read Proverbs, I’m thinking about time in the development of wisdom.

For some reason all of the remote work in today’s business environment made me look differently at the letter to the Colossians.