December is here and that means Christmas gifts. When a gift is given that is a delightful surprise or a longed for treasure, all is well. The giver is happy, the recipient is thrilled, the tree seems to be bigger and brighter. But when the desired gift does not appear, the tree is somehow not as pretty and spirits are dampened. And, of course, the disappointment of the missing gift is not limited to children, mom & dad can know this ache as well. Not getting the gift that is wanted can happen for several reasons. The budget dictates trips to Walmart instead of the mall. This kind of disappointment can be addressed with a loving dose of reality given well […]
Monthly Archives: December 2015
23 posts
Stupidity, Arrogance, and Futility in Paris The nations of the planet have agreed to the plan of the UN sponsored gathering on climate change. The major goal of the agreement is stated below in Article 2 of the document. This article is not about whether climate change exists. Regardless of what you believe about the existence and cause of climate change, there is one key factor that must not be missed. If change is to occur it will be by the hand of God and not by the hand of men. Should man be responsible? Of course! But can man bring about change apart from the will of God? Of course not! My problem with this agreement is that it […]
How to make sure you have a miserable Christmas. Giving gifts can be a dangerous activity, especially if you give gifts to yourself. No, I am not talking about the present under the tree that is labeled from you to you. I am talking about the gifts you give to your wife or husband or your kids or others close to you. One example is giving a gift to someone for the pleasure of seeing how much you are appreciated. For example, you are feeling unappreciated by your wife. You find a gift you think will please her and tip the scales back in your favor. This is where things get murky. You spent money on something you really could […]
The darkness of the world is total. When you are overcome by anger, resentment, bitterness, despair there is no light – only darkness. God has something better for you. People who are walking in darkness will see a great light. Light is the great promise of the Christ-child. As Isaiah proclaims, it is God who turns darkness into light. Take time to remind your children and yourself that life without Christ is deep, utter darkness. May God grant you faith to live by the light and turn from darkness. May the light of Christ shine in the dark, troubled places of your heart. Rejoice! The light of Christ has come. The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; […]
Peace on Earth is a phrase associated with Christmas. But then a quick survey of the planet brings the response, “Not so much!” Why is that? Could the promise of Peace on Earth be false? Let’s start with what was the proclamation that the angels made over 2,000 years ago: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Luke 2:14 So, yes, peace on earth was promised. But to whom? The Holy Spirit does not speak in sound-bites. That means that we are not free to decide which words of his we like and which ones we don’t like. The truth is that peace comes to those know God’s […]
There is a compelling reason to celebrate the Advent. God’s angels burst into the night sky to praise the birth of Christ. In Luke 2 we read how the sky erupted with the praise of the angels: “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”” Then, in Revelation 5:11-14, we again read of the angels proclaiming the praises our Savior, the Lamb. Why is the Lamb worthy to receive praise? Because he completed the mission his Father entrusted to his care. The angels proclaimed his praise at his birth and that praise continues on in […]
No doubt many will receive a gift of Adele’s music for Christmas. Her voice is strong, haunting, evocative. While her themes connect with life, they are mostly about life’s disappointments, life’s moments of almost happiness and what might have been. Her voice and style are new and stunning, but her words are time-worn and filled with the disappointment of the garden. You can almost hear Eve in the background longing for what might have been. In this sense Adele’s music is not new. Her message is that of the ancient Greek tragedies and of Shakespeare. It is the message of the blues and post modernism. It is a message of commiseration, but not of hope. Adele’s music stirs us to […]
On a beautiful Sunday morning there were signs. There were negotiations, there were weapons, there were plans, there was a grand scheme. There was deception. There was a belief things could be managed, that our country would be safe. There was also one missing component in the policy making of our country on that Sunday morning, December 7,1941. Like today, there was a refusal to believe what the Bible said about the human heart: “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” Jeremiah 17:9 I have no way of knowing what this December 7th will bring. But I do know that the reality of the deceptiveness of the […]
The coming of Christ has greater significance than we can possibly imagine. Often lost in the Christmas rush is the comfort the coming of Christ means for mankind and for creation itself. His coming makes all things right. You can know comfort in the face of injustice. But also look at the message that Psalm 98 and Romans 8 reveal about creation. The groaning creation rejoices at the coming of its King. Without his coming, sin would so corrupt the Earth that it would collapse under its ugly weight. The rivers and hills are not rejoicing in a vacuum. The creation knows that Christ is their salvation. Sin’s toxic curse is broken. For God’s people this means comfort is possible. […]
A note from Tedd Tripp Every Christian parent is on the lookout for good ways to teach their children the basic elements of the Christian faith. Why Christmas? and the companion book Why Easter? are illustrated books to aid parents in giving children insight into these profound events. Barbara Reaoch, International Director of Children’s Programs for Bible Study Fellowship, brings a lifetime of teaching experience to these devotional volumes. They are designed for daily reading times in the twenty-eight days leading up to Easter or Christmas. The devotional for each day inclues a Bible passage, a Listen section that gives some devotional concepts, a Truth that highlights an important idea from the passage, a Discuss time that prompts thinking with […]