Consider this

                John the Baptist had one job and that was to “prepare the way for the Lord” (Luke 1:76).   He did that by highlighting three blessings that Jesus would bring.                   First, he talked about a restored relationship with God.   Reunions can be wonderful.   In fact, many of you are looking forward to the Christmas season because of the reunions that will take place.   John said that Jesus would come, “To give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God” (verses 77 and 78).   Sin separates us from God, but through his Son, God gives us a way home.                 Next, John spoke of Jesus as “The rising sun [who] will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and the shadow of death” (verses 78 and 79).   The world can seem like a dark place, but

                I have wasted the last month looking for tires for my daughter’s truck.   I have been to every tire store in town.   I have searched the internet for deals.   I even bought a tire-changer so that I could install used tires if I found some good ones.                   After seeing all of this, some of my friends have accused me of being “cheap”.   However, that is not the issue.   In fact, I eventually ordered new tires from one of the shops in town and I was happy about it.   I was not cheap.   I was scared of making a bad decision.                   I hate being wrong and that is a problem!                 We all want others to think that we have our lives together and that we are capable of handling anything that comes our way.   That is good!   I believe that people should try to do their best all the time.   However, when we over emphasize the need to be right in everything, we create a culture where mistakes must be hidden and where we only talk about the go

            Maybe I am a bit of a control freak, but I do not like uncertainty in my life.   I want to know what is coming.   Waiting for situations to resolve themselves usually just gives me more time to imagine the worst outcomes.    Maybe that is why I like the words of the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk.   He said,   “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength” (3:17-18).             Though nothing looks right and all is seemingly lost, Habakkuk is still hopeful because he believes that God is in charge and is doing something even if he does not see or understand it.   He does not let his "visible circumstances" overcome his "unseen strength".                Too often, I want proof that things will b

“People (including yourself) will be more interested in spiritual things when they have more information.   The more they know, the more they will do.”                     Do you believe that? Obviously, teaching is important.   Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God”.   However, I do not think that “lack of instruction” is always the issue.   I think that if you want people to be interested, you have to give them what Peter gives his audience in Acts 2. Interestingly, Peter’s sermon does not give his audience any new information.   He starts by quoting the prophet “Joel”, but his audience knew the words of the prophets.   Next he talks about King David.   His audience would have grown up with the stories about this great man of God.   Then he mentions Jesus, his death and the empty tomb.   They knew this part too.   In fact, only fifty days had passed since Jesus’ crucifixion and most of these people would have been in Jerusalem when it hap

               Amelia Earhart never suggested that her 1932 solo flight from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland to a farmer’s pasture in Ireland was going to be easy.   However, she likely never expected it to be as harrowing as it became.                 Less than two hours into the flight, her altimeter (the gauge that measures altitude) quit working.   Not long after that, she encountered fog, then darkness and then a storm.   When she climbed to a higher altitude to escape the storm, ice formed on her wings forcing her back down.   Without an altimeter and being unable to see, she could only guess how close she was to the surface of the water.   Soon, she was uncertain as to whether she was on or off course and she had no idea how far she had flown.                 At dawn, she switched to her reserve fuel tank only to find that the gauge had a leak that caused fuel to drip down her neck.   To add to her distress, an exhaust manifold cracked and flames began shooting out of the engi

    You cannot make yourself go sleep. You can close the curtains, put on your pajamas, fluff your pillow, get in bed and shut the lights off, but that is all you can do. As soon as you start to think, “I need to go to sleep right now!” you are in big trouble, because the more you think about going to sleep, the less likely it is to happen. Focusing on sleep is completely counter-productive. The most you can do is to put yourself in a position to sleep. After that, sleep comes at its own time, not at your bidding.     I believe that holiness comes in a similar way. No one cannot manufacture a holy life on his or her own. In fact, focusing on being good is more likely to produce pride rather than holiness. All anyone can really do is put themselves in a position to be made holy.     I think that is the point that Jesus is making in John 15 when he says to his disciples, “I am the vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit”. Spir

   The best stories often have an unexpected twist. That is certainly the case in Jesus’ story about the Pharisee and the tax-collector (Luke 18:9-14).    Pharisees were the religious leaders and they were considered the best people in town. They knew God’s law and followed it meticulously. Tax collectors, on the other hand, were among the most hated people. They often collected more money than they should and they were considered traitors because they worked for the Roman government.    To Jesus’ original audience, it would have been obvious that the Pharisee was the good guy and the tax collector was the bad guy.    The Pharisee went to the temple and prayed, “God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and I give a tenth of all I get” (verse 12). He is a good guy!     The tax collector was so bad that he could not even look to heaven and so he prayed, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner”

               “You are fat!”                 Those three words became the story that my friend’s fourteen-year-old daughter told herself.   In fact, she believed that story so strongly that this once bubbly, happy, certainly not overweight, young woman began struggling with her self-esteem and, eventually, became anorexic.                 What would have happened had she believed a different story?   What if “You are amazing”, or “You are smart”, or “You are beautiful” were the words that shaped her?   Stories are powerful and what we do with them can have long-term effects.                 Jesus knew the power of stories.   In fact, most of his teaching falls into a category that we call “parables” which are simple stories with a point.   However, Jesus used stories in another, even more powerful way: He told new stories!                 One day a group of religious leaders came to him and said, “We caught this woman in the act of adultery.   What should we do with her?”  

            “If I just (fill in the blank) then I would be happy!”             That is the way most people think.   They focus on their circumstances and believe that if certain things changed, then they would find happiness.   The problem is that years of research have proven that it is not true.               Those who study such things tell us that only about 10% of your happiness comes from your circumstances.   In other words, some people are rich and happy and others are rich and miserable.    Some are poor and miserable and some are poor and happy.   Happiness levels are about the same no matter what people have or lack.   You know this from your own experience.   Some changes are life-altering (a death for instance), but most things affect us for a little while and then the feeling fades away.   That new car that you wanted so badly eventually becomes just your car.   Moving to a new town may provide a lift, but after a while it is just the place where you live.   In time,