Consider this

 Four truths that make life better regardless of circumstance.   https://youtu.be/yp7osQr08go      

 How Did This Happen?                Have you noticed the sunrises lately?   They are just stunning.   The clouds are six different shades of red.   The sun is a brilliant yellow.   The hoar frost is glittering on the tree branches.   Sunrises this time of year are amazing!                This past weekend, a couple from the church brought their newborn baby boy to worship.   I have never held a baby without thinking, “This is incredible!”   This little human has a heart that can beat for eighty or ninety years without a break.   He has incredibly intricate eyes that function from day one, and tiny kidneys that filter toxins so he can remain healthy.   Over the years, his brain will develop, allowing him to learn languages and communicate.   Babies are amazing!     ...

 In a time where it sometimes feels like "Every man/woman for themselves," we need to remember and honour the value of community, friendship, and love.  https://youtu.be/MPyQgxuny4E    

  You can listen to the voices around you that say, “Compare. Compete. Try harder. Do more. Have more. Look like this. Be like that. Show off and brag about how great your life is, or at least pretend your life is better than it is so that others will be impressed”. You can do that, but it will bury you! You cannot win that game! Someone will always have more, look better, be smarter, or have been to more places. It is difficult to enjoy your life when you are focused on comparing and competing.   You can listen to the voice of discouragement and negativity. It is not hard to find things to complain about. It is easy to point out the failings of the person who tried. Unfortunately, the voices of discouragement seem to carry more weight and are louder than any other voice. You can receive a thousand compliments, but you will remember the criticism. There is always something to be thankful for, but most people do not bother to look for it. It is easier to be neg...

 Three big themes that are worth some thought.   https://youtu.be/6P2pE6WSUJE  

 The loudest voices are not always the most important ones.  https://youtu.be/uXQVHbzz0sQ  

 How focusing on the next life helps us live this one better   https://youtu.be/cydHc8alzOw  

  When my granddaughter was young, she would hold out some of her snack, and I would say, “Oooh… is that for grandpa??”  Then she would take it back, eat it and laugh!  It was the funniest thing to her.  Lately, that has changed.  At a recent Bruins game, she sat down beside me and said, “Grandpa, this popcorn is for both of us”, and happily shared it with me.  Generosity is a sign of growing up. Occasionally, God’s people were mature enough to really understand the value of giving. In the earliest days, when God’s people first started worshipping him, they gave so much that Moses had to tell them to stop bringing their gifts (Exodus 36:1-7).  Later, when King Hezekiah reopened the temple, they gave so many gifts that they were piled in heaps around the courtyard (2 Chronicles 31).  Generosity was one of the most prominent qualities of the New Testament church ...

 If we see the word of God as just a bunch of rules and things for us to do, we see it incorrectly. The word has power to change and shape us in ways that we do not see or understand https://youtu.be/_ykQut1RztI  

  In 2021, after years of hard work and dedication, Polish javelin thrower Marie Andrejczyk realized a dream by winning a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. While this accomplishment was worth celebrating and remembering, what she did next was even more impressive.   Andrejczyk heard about an 8-month-old boy who needed heart surgery, so she decided to auction off her medal and donate the money to the family. A Polish convenience store named Zabka purchased the medal for $125 000. The family of the little boy received the money, and the surgery was completed. However, the story does not end there.   After winning the auction, Zabka contacted Andrejczyk and informed her that they were returning the medal to her. In the end, the store received some good publicity, a baby received the medical care he needed, and Maria was able to keep the medal she had worked so hard to win. That is what happens when we lead with kindness.   Unfortunately, kindness is not a word t...

  What generosity says about us and why it matters   https://youtu.be/Z3W-2-xUsGg  

 Five words to help shape 2026.  https://youtu.be/Nodiu3Eowiw  

 Knowing the real details of Jesus' birth makes it even more powerful.  https://youtu.be/h_LKDmd5RWQ  

  Christmas holidays (and, let's face it, life in general) can be chaotic and stressful. Here are three gifts we need right now.  https://youtu.be/4lEnM_HGWsc  

                  When John and Francis Canning were planning their 2012 wedding at Manchester Town Hall, they realized that Queen Elizabeth II was scheduled to be in the building for some official meeting at the same time.   Just for fun, as they mailed out their invitations, they sent one to the Queen.                A few weeks later, they received a response from Buckingham Palace indicating that, while the Queen was happy for them and wished them well, she would not be able to attend.   Surprised that they had received any response at all, John and Francis continued to look forward to their special day and never gave the queen another thought.                That is, until they were standing in their receiving line after the wedding, looked up, and saw the Queen and Prince Philip head...

 We receive the new life for free through Christ. We cannot earn it. However, we must work to experience and live in it. https://youtu.be/naCcKgSu1f0  

                   Rowan Atkinson, the actor who plays Mr. Bean, was in an auto parts store when he noticed a man watching him.   This gentleman followed Atkinson around the store for several minutes until he finally found the courage to speak to him.                “You look just like that Mr. Bean fellow”, the man said.   “In fact, you should become a Mr. Bean impersonator.   You could make a lot of money doing that.”                Atkinson laughed and said, “Actually, I am Mr. Bean”, but the man did not believe him.   For the next several minutes, Atkinson tried to convince him, but to no avail.   The man left the store thinking he had seen a guy who looked like Mr. Bean, rather than believing that he had actually met Mr. Bean.  ...

 This is one change is critical to our spiritual life and strength. It is a bridge between God’s promises and our response. https://youtu.be/gli7fxZZvqw  

  On the evening of Tuesday, November 11, many people left the warmth and comfort of their homes to stand in the cold on dark, rural roads and look at the night sky. They were lured by the promise of spectacular Northern Lights, and they were not disappointed. Personally, I do not remember ever seeing them so bright and red. Stretching right across the sky and even over the top of us, they were amazing! The next day, my Facebook feed was flooded with pictures of the Northern Lights. It was as if people could not help themselves. They had seen something so beautiful and amazing that they had to acknowledge and share it. To me, that is a good picture of what gratitude should look like in our lives. Our blessings should overwhelm us to the point that we must see, celebrate, and share them. Thanksgiving should not be a one-time, limited, “Oh, isn’t that nice!” affair. Rather, it should be a constant mindset and the lens through which we see our world. ...

 If you think the message of the gospel is too simple, you likely have it right!  (The lesson is 28 minutes long.  Communion follows)  https://youtu.be/4i306hB8mak