Consider this

 Work and rest are not opposites.   

 We have been told, "Forgive and forget", but I don't think we do that very well.... or maybe even not at all. Instead, more often than not, I think we do something else and call it forgiving. Fortunately, God has been trying to teach us about forgiveness for a long time, so we have lots of resources. This week, we will see what real forgiveness looks like, what it requires of us and why it it so important.  

 Troubles come.... but you do not have to fall apart.    

 For more than a thousand years, people had been waiting for the Messiah who would teach them about God and save them. Therefore, when Jesus started his first sermon, the anticipation was high. However, Jesus' first words were not exactly what the people expected. Find out what he said and why those words are still important today.

                  Have you ever been on a blind date?   If you have, then you know how awkward it is when you know a little bit about someone, but not enough to really know anything about them.                 I think that is how most people are with God.   They know a little bit about him.   For example, they could talk about his love, grace, and forgiveness, but they do not know a lot of the details about who he is and what he is like.   In Psalm 18, David fills in some of the gaps for us.                 This psalm, like many others, celebrates the fact that God rescued David from his enemies.   What makes this one different, though, is that it tells us how God rescued him and why.                 I have always assumed that God rescues me the way I rescue others: reluctantly!   In other words, he will do it, but he is not over

                 The twenty-third Psalm begins, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want”.   David is peaceful and content. He goes on to say that, because God is guiding him, he is not afraid of his enemies or even of death itself.   The last line of the psalm says, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (verse 6).   David’s vision of a future home with God made him experience his earthly home differently.                 Abraham is one of the heroes of the faith listed in Hebrews 11.   Here is what the writer says about him, “By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. …. He was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (verses 8-10).   Abraham left his home, his family, and his eart

                  Timothy had one job.   He was to stay in the city of Ephesus so that he could teach and help organize the church there.                 Timothy also had one big problem.   He had no leverage.   He could not make people listen to him or do anything.   The church, after all, is essentially a volunteer organization.   Additionally, Timothy was young, so it was easy to ignore him.                   Do you know that feeling?   You want to help and direct people to the answers they need, yet you have no way of making them listen or do what is best.                   In cases like this, we often resort to the wrong methods.   For example, we try to guilt people into doing what we think they ought to do.   Maybe we get angry and try to bully them into the response we want.   Sometimes when people do not listen, we try

 (This is the second in a series of articles I was asked to write for our local paper.  This one deals with how to help those who are hurting over the holiday season). ___________                 For those dealing with grief, depression, or other forms of loss, Christmastime can be intensely painful and lonely.   How can you help when you know that someone is going through a difficult time?                   First, acknowledge the circumstance.   Pretending that nothing has changed or that there has not been significant trauma in that person’s life only isolates them even more.   Many years ago, a lady said to me, “The hardest thing about losing my husband is the fact that no one talks about him anymore.   It is as if he, and our life together, never existed”.    Even when it is difficult, truth is always our friend.   By acknowledging the situation, we show that we are

 The issue is not that we lack blessings. The issue is seeing them.  

Editor's Note:  This is not one of my regular articles.  Rather, it is one that I was asked to write for our local newspaper's holiday special.  For what it is worth....  _______                 It’s the most wonderful time of the year, or so the song says.                   In reality, though, for many people, the Christmas season is stress-filled.   There is a lot of pressure to get to all the events, to buy just the right gifts, and to make memories that last a lifetime.   Even when families get along, spending time together can be difficult and it can be easy to miss the joy of the season.   With that in mind, here are a few simple tips to help your holidays run more smoothly.                 First, lower your expectations.   Do not buy into the notion that every Christmas must be the best Christmas ever.   If you decide that your family gathering must resemble a Hallmark movie, you will be disappointed.   Rather, determine to be happy with whatever happens.   Be flexib

 Worship (both public and private) serves several purposes. It centres our thoughts on God and his desires. It provides encouragement through fellowship with God and one another. Worship also provides one other benefit. Rediscover what it is and why it is so important.  

 You cannot control every circumstance, but you can always control how you respond.