When you hear the term upside-down, it most always refers to some kind of mess. A bag of flour turned upside-down means a broom and a mop. When mom comes home and the house is turned upside-down somebody’s in trouble. A grocery bag turned upside down means apples and oranges all over your trunk. [...]
Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Luke 19:30 The Preparation Jesus instructed His disciples to go and find a colt for Him to ride into Jerusalem. This colt was never ridden, and Jesus was going to make a grand entrance into the Holy City with great anticipation from [...]
It happens every year sometime during the week after Christmas. People all over the world grab their trash bags full of torn paper and leftover food and throw it into the back of their trucks. They then sort through the many different sizes of boxes and take them to their trucks as well. The [...]
As I sit here thinking about all the preparations made for one day each year, I’m overwhelmed at how we spend so much time coordinating with family members to meet for good times together and the annual gift exchange. Families from different areas drive through horrible traffic and finally arrive at the designated home. [...]
What if you were in Bethlehem the night Jesus was born? Here’s what I know. You probably would be unaware of anything going on in the city. It was a normal night for you and your family. In fact, if you were able to get a room you would have considered yourself very lucky. It [...]
We focused earlier in the month on the idea of worship being a response to God’s grace in our lives. I really wanted to put it together for you as we look at the complete picture of worship with some of the key people in the Christmas story. We’ll look at Elizabeth, Mary, the angels, [...]
12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” [...]
Have you ever felt really insignificant? You know, like you didn’t matter. Maybe you have a job where you feel like you don’t make a difference. Maybe you struggle with your chosen profession or even your self-esteem. I think we all struggle with self-esteem. Either we think too lowly of ourselves or we think too [...]
A story is told of a furry green creature who was mistreated as a child. One Christmas, he was ridiculed for bringing a homemade quirky gift to school for the gift exchange. Children laughed at him and he became the center of all jokes. Yes, he was different and didn’t look the same as the [...]
Unassuming accommodations. Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up. A stable? A manger? A feeding trough? Animals? Put me in charge and it would have been totally different. Mary and Joseph would have had a penthouse room at the Hilton. They would have had complimentary room service, an on call doctor, and a nurse who [...]