Posts tagged “Joy”
Better than a second chance
In the past, it was easy for me to feed into my fears about entering the public ministry, especially since serving God’s people was…
No “meh” in Messiah
“Behold!” we sang just a few short weeks ago. “Come and see!” we were told. “Joy to the world!” we cried with gusto. “Let…
How to deal with anxiety (Part 4)
Out of the 30 times that words like worry and anxiety show up in the Bible, 8 of them are in Jesus’ classic teaching…
Today’s devotion is made possible by God’s Word
Sesame Street is dedicated to helping children learn. The Muppets or cast involved help teach them how to read and write. Every episode is…
Un-deck the halls
I don’t know if “undecorate” is a word, but it’s easily my least favorite part of the Christmas season. It usually happens in early…
Grace AND peace!
Christians love the words grace and peace. Those two words are laced through the Bible, peppered into prayers, and bound up in the benediction…
We want to be happy
St. Augustine, a famous Christian who lived around a.d. 400, wrote, “Every man, whatsoever his condition, desires to be happy.” Isn’t that true? Whoever…
Away . . . to be near
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head; The stars in the sky look…
Merry dictionary Christmas!
As a pastor, I get concerned every time December rolls around. It’s not the presents and the busyness and the Santa dilemma that worry…
What are you thankful for?
Let me set the scene for you. Thanksgiving Day. After having their hands slapped a few times in failed food-snitching attempts, the family finally…
A crash test dummy’s guide to reading the Bible
It seems to me that when a car manufacturer creates a new car model, there are two very important teams that participate in the…
Your pain has a purpose
I recently read The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis, and it shattered some of my old ways of thinking about life’s troubles….