Christmas: God Is with You

“Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” Matthew 1:23 (NLT) *** *** *** ***   Have you ever been to a baby dedication where the child’s full name is announced to everyone, and the baby has three or four different names from first name to last name? Sometimes there may five or six names in the middle!   The baby Jesus was like that; God gave him several names to tell us about the character of Christ and the purpose of …

Christmas: God Loves Us

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NLT)   *** *** *** ***   God loves you so much that he sent Jesus on a mission of love with a message of love. Christmas is a yearly reminder that God loves you. The Bible says God is love. It doesn’t say God has love; it says God is love. Love is his nature – God is love.   And God created the entire universe; he created this planet; he …

Movie Review: Milk

Biopics are a funny thing. Sometimes they work, and when they do, they often feel like flashes in a pan and rarely stay in your memory bank. I wondered why I have forgotten most of even recent pictures that were well done, such as “Ray” and “Walk the Line”, and I think I understand why. When I watched both of those movies, all it made me want to do was listen to their music. Unfortunately it’s just not possible to give a life story of someone so dynamic and powerful only a two or two and a half hour snapshot. …

Christmas: Celebration!

“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” Luke 2:10 (NIV) *** *** *** *** This may come as a shock to you, but God really likes parties. God is into parties; God likes to party; God is constantly throwing parties. In fact, the Bible says that God’s angels throw a party every time a single person trusts Jesus as the Lord and Savior of his or her life. They party for joy whenever someone turns away from self-centeredness and turns toward Jesus.   Christmas is a party; it’s a birthday party for …

Some Facts about Fruit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) *** *** *** ***   One of my fondest memories of growing up is my father’s garden. It seemed my dad grew everything in his garden. In fact, he always grew enough to feed the entire neighborhood. Whenever people would stop by our home for a visit, they’d usually leave with a sack full of fresh vegetables and luscious fruit.   The kind of fruit my father grew is just one kind of …

Fruit Grows From Spiritual Seeds

“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” John 12:24 (NIV) *** *** *** ***   When you think about your walk with Jesus, some days you may wonder, “Why is this so hard? I’m still struggling with so many problems. When will I finally get it right?”   In my journey as a pastor, I’ve learned that spiritual growth is often like the growth we see in nature – the best fruit ripens slowly. In John 12:24, …

Whose Battle Is It?

“But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out there tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!” 2 Chronicles 20:17 (NLT) *** *** *** ***   In today’s passage, God is talking to King Jehoshaphat and the Israelites. They’re about to be attacked by three enemies: the Moabites, the Ammonites, and the Meunites.   Jehoshaphat had to be worried about how his people could defend themselves in such a battle, but God …

Releasing Your Regrets

People who cover over their sins will not prosper. But if they confess and forsake them, they will receive mercy. Proverbs 28:13 (NLT)   *** *** *** ***   How often do you play the “if only” game?   · If only I had it to do over.   · If only I had listened sooner.   · If only I could erase the past.   · If only I could forgive myself.   Because no one is perfect, we all have regrets. We’ve all made bad choices, said foolish things, wasted time, and hurt ourselves and others.   How …

7 Steps to Effective Discipline

I have been listening to a great talk from the Resurgence’s Biblical Parenting Conference by Dr. Ted Tripp called “An Overview of Corrective Discipline“. He has written the book Shepherding a Child’s Heart which I have added to my Christmas list, as should every parent. Here are some notes I took on Dr. Tripp’s teaching about discipline. The central verse on discipline is, Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long …

Love Is a Habit

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them.” Luke 6:32 (NIV) *** *** *** ***   If you only love on and off like a light switch, you do not love others like God wants you to love. Jesus said, “If you only love those who love you what credit is that to you?” (Luke 6:32 NIV).   His point is this: anybody can love those who love them. Becoming a master lover means you learn to love the unlovable. It’s when you love people who don’t love …