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Something in the human heart desperately wants to believe.  We started watching Christmas movies as soon as the Thanksgiving leftovers hit the fridge. Miracle on 34th Street has long been one of our favorites.  I don’t analyze every movie we watch, but this year, things just jumped out at me. Miracle on 34th Street centers on the tension…

Son of David. A loaded phrase in Scripture. It came with ties to royalty, future promises of the Messiah, and an eternal kingdom. Consequently, genealogical records were carefully recorded. Genealogies typically read from father to son as seen in Matthew 1:1-17. However, in Matthew 1:20, when the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, the…

I’m big on names.  In biblical culture, name often represented character. Think of how many times you speak a child’s name over them. How could that not influence a child? With that in mind, I chose the names of our children carefully:  Benjamin (son of the right hand) Russell (his father’s name)  Richard (ruler, leader,…

It’s Advent time. Christmas trees primp and preen as they don their seasonal finery. Mistletoe dangles from the ceiling. Candles and poinsettias elbow one another for the most prominent display spot. Our homes glitter, glow, and gleam as we celebrate the Light of the world.  I love to spend time reflecting over the Christmas accounts…

Typically, thanksgiving comes after. After the answer. After the reconciliation. After the storm has ceased. After.  If we remember. Yet, in the New Testament, Paul linked prayer with thanksgiving. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.” Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every…

Paul knew how to start a letter: “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.” Philippians 1:3 NIV “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.” 1 Thessalonians 1:2 “I always thank my God as I…

Our church fields an extensive staff. Pastors exist for every ministry imaginable. However, Scripture records one office I have yet to see: Director of Thanksgiving. Check out the verses below. “Mattaniah son of Mika, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the director who led in thanksgiving and prayer;” Nehemiah 11:17 “The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel,…

Sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas, Thanksgiving gets the squeeze. Even Black Friday sales bleed over into Thursday. Now I’m all about Christmas as long as Jesus remains its focus, but we do harm to neglect Thanksgiving.  “Thanks” and “thanksgiving” pop up over one hundred times in Scripture. Yet surprisingly Hebrew has no specific word for…

The world is known for divisions: culture, education, socio-economic status, race, language, gender.  The early Church was marked by love—and oneness: All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their…

I had done my homework, but still, I was unprepared for the demands of our new family addition. A working dog. Specifically, a Belgian Malinois. Two years later, I’m still amazed by his abilities. I expected our new pup to require a lot of physical activity. What surprised me was his need for mental stimulation. …