Month: December 2015

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.

The Importance of How

While attending Bible college, my friend Charlie and I worked for a furniture store. We often made deliveries accompanied by an interior decorator who talked with the people who had purchased the furniture while we brought it from the truck into the house. Sometimes we had to carry the furniture up several flights of stairs in an apartment building. Charlie and I often wished we had the decorator’s job instead of ours!

During Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, three clans from the priestly tribe of Levi—the Kohathites, Gershonites, and Merarites—were assigned the job of transporting the Tent of…

Crizel Swin

How Jesus surprised Nicodemus

Sometimes for a really smart person to learn something, they have to be humble enough to want to learn. Nicodemus, a leading member of the Sanhedrin, came to Jesus with some sincere questions. His frame of reference was the Mosaic law, but Jesus surprised him with a whole new paradigm. Join the group today on “Discover the Word” as they begin the series, “For God So Loved.”

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.

When It’s More Blessed To Give Than to Receive

For years, I dreaded Christmas and the social gatherings that came with it. While my friends and colleagues looked forward excitedly to exchanging presents and spending time with friends, I hated the idea of attending awkward barbecues with strangers.

Let’s Celebrate

After Ghana’s Asamoah Gyan scored a goal against Germany in the 2014 World Cup, he and his teammates did a coordinated dance step. When Germany’s Miroslav Klose scored a few minutes later, he did a running front flip. “Soccer celebrations are so appealing because they reveal players’ personalities, values, and passions,” says Clint Mathis, who scored for the US at the 2002 World Cup.

In Psalm 150, the psalmist invites “everything that has breath” to celebrate and praise the Lord in many different ways. He suggests that we use trumpets and harps, stringed instruments and pipes, cymbals and dancing. He encourages…

Charlotte

Alfred

Sam Westmoreland

Sharon Valentine

Claudia Cruz

Joanne

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…

Paris Apodaca Sanchez