Off The Throne
After the birth of Jesus, Magi (wise men) came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). When King Herod heard about this he became greatly disturbed. Herod had been appointed King of the Jews by the Roman government; but he was only partially Jewish […]
The Last Unopened Gift
Did you see it? You may have missed it…but it was there. Don’t feel bad, most people overlook this one; but there is still time. Today, before the new year gets here; before all the decorations get put away; before all the other gifts are set aside, open it! Romans 6:23“For the wages of sin […]
A Lifetime of Waiting
Last year, many of you read about our family traveling around the country. We spent four wonderful months on the road and returned in early December. Right before Christmas I sent out a version of this message which included the following sentence: “We really have no idea what our life will look like in a […]
Day of Remembrance
There are only a few more days to go! If you read this on December 22nd, there are only three days until…until what? Why is December 25th so special? What really is this day we call Christmas? The early church didn’t give much thought to the birth of Jesus. Of the four Gospels only Matthew […]
The First Move
In our celebration of the birth of Christ, we know the focus of Christmas must always be on remembering the eternal gift given through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This season ought to irresistibly draw us near to God as we reflect on His gift of love. The birth of Jesus gives […]
The Gift of True Forgiveness
It’s hard to believe there are only a few more days until Christmas. Yes, as the song says: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year!” It really is wonderful! We are flooded with Christmas music, Christmas lights, and lots of Christmas “activities.” And although the Christmas “fluff” is often distracting, most of us are […]
Remain Like a Child
In the message “Hold Me” we saw how our Heavenly Father desires for us to reach up to Him with outstretched arms and how this is perhaps His greatest joy. We considered the example of a child reaching up to be held by their parent. This is where our relationship with God begins and, in […]
Hold Me
In the message “Step Toward Jesus” we were encouraged to examine the motivation for the things we do, and exhorted to do ALL things for the love of being closer to Jesus. This is the essence of our relationship with our Father – simple, but absolute love. When a young child wants to be held, […]
Step Toward Jesus
In the last several messages, we consider the faith of Peter as he stepped out of the boat and walked on the water. We saw the importance of properly hearing the call and of keeping our eyes focused on our Lord as the waves are crashing at our feet. This story contains many lessons for […]
Meet Them Where They Are
Peter heard the call of Jesus in the middle of a storm and “got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus” (Matthew 14:29). Peter knew the voice of his Lord and knew that if He called, He would also provide a way to follow. But Peter soon “saw the […]
Hear The Call
In the last two messages, we’ve considered Peter as he responded to Jesus’ call: “Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus” (Matthew 14:29). We saw that Peter needed great faith to step out of the boat, even though his faith quickly faded “when he saw the […]