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Joy for All
On the final day of a Christian publishing conference in Singapore, 280 participants from 50 countries gathered in the outdoor plaza of a hotel for a group photo. From the second-floor balcony, the photographer took many shots from different angles before finally saying, “We’re through.” A voice from the crowd shouted with relief, “Well, joy to the world!” Immediately, someone replied by singing, “The Lord is come.” Others began to join in. Soon the entire group was singing the familiar carol in beautiful harmony. It was a moving display of unity and joy that I will never forget.
In Luke’s…
Christmas in Captivity
Rev. Martin Niemoller, a prominent German pastor, spent nearly eight years in Nazi concentration camps because he openly opposed Hitler. On Christmas Eve 1944, Niemoller spoke these words of hope to his fellow prisoners in Dachau: “My dear friends, on this Christmas . . . let us seek, in the Babe of Bethlehem, the One who came to us in order to bear with us everything that weighs heavily upon us. . . . God Himself has built a bridge from Himself to us! A dawn from on high has visited us!”
At Christmas we embrace the good news that…
God’s heart revealed in the life and death of His son
Can you remember your favorite teacher or your favorite way of being taught? Maybe you’re a visual learner requiring word pictures to help you grasp a concept. Today on Discover the Word, we will talk about Jesus, the Master Teacher who Himself was a Word Picture. It’s an inspiring discussion that reveals the heart of […]
God’s grace is fully expressed in the person of Jesus
For thousands of years, the Jewish people revered “the Law.” It wasn’t just a set of rules and regulations, but God speaking to His people the story of His love and protection. And today on Discover the Word, we discuss how God’s grace was evident in the Old Testament, but fully expressed in the Person of Jesus […]
It’s 2016 Hottest Christmas Gift: A Toy Egg
Six months ago, I would have scoffed at the idea that the most wanted toy for the Christmas season was a toy egg.
Gift of Grace
We can easily get consumed by the activities and extravagance of Christmas. We can also be burdened by the sadness of our situation and emotions. No matter the circumstances, you can lean into Jesus—the best gift we could ever receive—and He will calm your spirit.
The Best Gift Ever
At a winter retreat in northern New England, one of the men asked the question, “What was your favorite Christmas gift ever?”
One athletic man seemed eager to answer. “That’s easy,” he said, glancing at his friend next to him. “A few years back, I finished college thinking I was a sure bet to play professional football. When it didn’t happen, I was angry. Bitterness ate at me, and I shared that bitterness with anyone who tried to help me.”
“On the second Christmas—and second season without football—I went to a Christmas play at this guy’s church,” he said, gesturing toward his friend. “Not because I wanted Jesus, but just…
God Himself becomes the face of grace in human form
Abstract concepts can be hard to grasp until someone makes it real to us. Like the story of Abraham Lincoln walking miles to return a few pennies to a customer he had shortchanged. It’s a memorable story that embodies the concept of honesty! Today on Discover the Word, we will bring the abstract concept of […]
Discover the correlation between Genesis 1 and John 1
Perspective matters, because sometimes it takes multiple viewpoints to make sense of the whole. Today on Discover the Word, we will show the correlation between Genesis chapter one, and John chapter one. At first, God sounds like a “far off” God, until He unexpectedly bursts forth on the scene in the body of a human. […]
Spreading Joy
When Janet went to teach English in a school overseas, she found the atmosphere gloomy and depressing. People did their jobs, but no one seemed happy. They didn’t help or encourage one another. But Janet, grateful for all that God had done for her, expressed it in everything she did. She smiled. She was friendly. She went out of her way to help people. She hummed songs and hymns.
Little by little, as Janet shared her joy, the atmosphere at the school changed. One by one people began to smile and help each other. When a visiting administrator asked the principal…
An unusual slant to the Christmas story
We all have our favorite Christmas memories, and often it’s a shared story, told from different angles. It’s the same with the various accounts of Jesus’ birth. Each gospel writer tells the same story—but from a different vantage point. Today on Discover the Word, we will discuss an unusual slant to the Christmas narrative. It’s found in the […]
Fully embracing Christmas
At first glance, the story of a young virgin becoming pregnant by the Spirit of God sounds, well, crazy. And it is until the gold standard of proof is given in Matthew chapter one. Today on Discover the Word, we will talk about an Old Testament passage in Isaiah that’s repeated in Matthew—providing evidence of […]
Learn what gave Joseph hope in a hopeless situation
“We have a problem.” How many times have you heard someone say that to you, like a doctor, perhaps? Well, today on Discover the Word, we will talk about the “problem” that Joseph faced in dealing with Mary’s pregnancy. He felt betrayed, but how could he allow his fiancée to be stoned to death? Nor did […]
Joseph chose to lay his power down
When Joseph discovered that his fiancée, Mary, was pregnant, ancient Jewish law gave him the option of having her publicly stoned to death. Yet while that was his right, it wasn’t his heart. Today on Discover the Word, we continue the discussion of Joseph’s role in the Christmas story. In a first-century patriarchal world, Joseph had […]
Joseph’s role in the Christmas story
Any man would be both angry and brokenhearted to learn that his fiancée was pregnant and he’s not the father. Today on Discover the Word, we will look at the role Joseph played in the Christmas story. The seeming not-so-good news of Mary’s pregnancy hit him hard for several reasons causing him to have to […]
