(SN055) The underlying reason for the season is the celebration of Christ Jesus’ birth on a cold December day followed by three kings who bestowed gifts upon a newborn child laying in hay lined manger in a wood shed. At least that’s how the Christmas pageants portray the events.

(SN054) If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

(SN053) The healthiest country is Singapore, the USA is ranked 69th. With that said, let’s take a look at what God says about healthy eating habits. Leviticus chapter 11 provides a breakdown of what God says is healthy and not healthy to eat. 

(052) Jesus owns all of of our sin and there is only one thing remaining to complete the ‘transaction’ … we have to give Him what is rightfully His.

(SN051) I may have great plans to stay focused on God all day, often times the stresses of life, other’s words, our pride, and our way too full schedules, can, and often do, highjack our minds. When that happens we can hardly think straight much less take time to study the Bible, work on our relationship with Jesus, or even consider slowing down long enough to figure out how, when, and where to apply the Biblical truths we already do know.

(SN050)    We’ve all been there, weighted down with a situation or an unknown that at times feels too heavy emotionally to deal with. To make things worse, we sometimes carry those burdens alone or just within a close circle of family or friends. Maybe because we don’t want to burden others, or we feel others may not be able to help, or we’re embarrassed or scared to share with others. Walking that road alone is not what God intended. However, let me flip the model and encourage us, as Christians, to take the first step in helping others to carry their burdens. Paul in his letter to the Galatians said we are expected to carry the burdens of others.

(SN049) Throughout Colossians, Paul is confronting the false teachings of that time.  He is reminding the church at Colossae of who Jesus is and what He did for us that day at the cross and of the strength and healing He provided there. (Includes an exercise in forgiveness and healing. )

(SN048) There are all types of Christians or better said, Christianity is reflected differently in different people. A Christian is simply someone who has been saved which is referred to as being justified and forgiven. Justification is definitive, there’s no gray area, no confusion, no maybe, and no “I’m not sure.” As noted in Romans 10:8-10, you either have or have not been saved, received salvation, confessed who Christ is and received the free gift of forgiveness.

(SN047) What makes a great movie great? It could be the feel good message, or the “I didn’t see that coming” factor or simply the general entertainment the movie provides such as a comedy. Many times it’s not the whole movie but specific lines that you remember forever. Every now and then, a move hits all the marks with a great message, memorable lines, a few laughs, and an unexpected twist. 

(SN046) A discussion designed to help you build perseverance to forge ahead when everything in you is suggesting otherwise. 

(SN045) A highly misquoted verse is 1 Timothy 6:10, where one word misquoted changes everything. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.” One word, ‘a’ is typically misquoted as ‘the.’ It’s ‘a’ problem not ‘the’ only problem.

(SN044) Communication is a major area of weakness in so many families and one that is often times overcomplicated when trying to fix it. The good news is it doesn’t have to be complicated, but there is a secret to making things less complicated.

(SN043) For any structure the most important component is the foundation on which everything else will be built and the quality of the material you use. The same is true when building a strong family. The only difference is when building a house, the foundation and material are physical objects, when building a strong family, the foundation and materials are Biblical principles. 

(SN042) God makes following Him quite simple,…Obey His voice , Walk in His ways. We make doing that much more complex.

(SN041) The man cried out ‘please heal me, please let me live’.  Each day the disease spread and he drew closer and closer to his death.  He continued to cry out, ‘I don’t want to die, I want to live’. 

(SN040) I have a few pet peeves such as being late, asking how are you doing when you don’t actually care, and saying I love ice cream. The last one may sound a bit odd but I'll explain why I feel that way.

(SN039) I’ve always heard that the searing process is required because it seals in the juices which makes the steak more flavorful. I’ve now come to learn that is only a myth. Read more to learn how searing meat is related to trials.

(SN038) Even the greatest and most vocal skeptics of Jesus do not debate that he lived and that he died by means of a crucifixion. Where the debate typically comes in is over whether or not he is God. They typically argue, he was a great teacher who got crucified, but that’s where they stop.

(SN037) Matthew 7:12 is a perfect example of why we should slowdown a bit when reading the Bible and focus on each word or phrase as we just might gain a deeper understanding of what we are reading. Sometimes gaining a deeper understanding of one word can change everything.

(SN036) No one likes to fail, but unfortunately, failure is often our greatest teacher because its in our failure where we find wisdom, if we choose to look for it. However, our desire to look, to learn, to find wisdom will be driven by how we emotionally respond to our failure, with conviction or with condemnation.