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Praise Immanuel
“Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:23) Jesus, the Son of God, was born, became flesh, and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) All things were created through Christ, yet He humbled Himself to be with us.…
Read MoreHow Do You Lose One Shoe?
How do you lose one shoe? When I was in kindergarten and first few grades (ok…maybe longer), I remember frantically running around the house hunting for … one shoe. I’d have the other one on. My mom laughed about it later, but I’m sure it was an irritant at the time. “How do you lose one shoe?” You lose…
Read MoreLooking Back with Gratitude
Time is continuous, but turning the page to a new year prompts taking stock and setting goals. How did you fare in 2016? What’s on your mind for 2017? Gratitude versus Thanksgiving Gratitude and thanksgiving are very similar. I think of gratitude as an attitude; a state of being grateful or thankful. While being thankful…
Read MoreChristmas: Christ’s Humiliation
Christmas is the favorite holiday for many, both secular and Christian. It can be a joyous time, celebrating the Word made flesh, and dwelling among us. (See John 1:1-14) Christmas, however, was a time of Christ’s humiliation. He humbled Himself, took the form of a bond-servant, and was made in the likeness of man (Philippians 2:6-7).…
Read MoreChristmas Eve!
Christmas Eve!!!!! Thank You, Father, for sending Your Son. Thank You, Lord Jesus Christ for humbling Yourself and being made flesh. Thank You for showing us the Father, and demonstrating Your deity. Thank You for taking my sins—and those of all Your people—on Yourself, dying for us, and enabling the Father to declare us righteous…
Read MorePraise the Holy Spirit
In the beginning was the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit was with God, and the Holy Spirit was God. Creator The Holy Spirit is Creator. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. … and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. (Genesis 1:1–2) Dwells The Holy Spirit…
Read MoreSing for Joy in the Shadow
Sing for Joy The last week before my mother’s death, my brother, sister-in-law, and I (with visits from her grandchildren) sat by her bed. I would read the Bible to her, especially the Psalms, not certain if she could hear me, but trusting. And, of course, the Lord spoke to me as I read. During…
Read MoreAdversity and Character
“Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it.” An NFL analyst-broadcaster-ex-coach recently said this, but that thought is commonly recited as truth. The phrase is only half right. Adversity does reveal character. But hardship also can build character. Adversity Reveals Character Character underlies all you are and all you do. While it is possible to put…
Read MoreWhom Would You Invite?
If you could ask anyone to Thanksgiving dinner, living or dead, whom would you invite? Answers to that question were printed in the Denver Post years ago. My favorite response: “Someone to cook.” Before you read on, think about whom you would invite. If I could invite anyone to dinner, it would be the Thanksgiving crowd from…
Read MorePraise the Giver
All things come from You, and from Your hand we have given You. (1 Chronicles 29:14) Everything comes from God God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—created everything and sustains everything. All things belong to God. Whatever we give to God was His before we had it, and when we gave it to Him, it remained His. For…
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