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This post could revolutionize how you show Christ to others through your life. Look at what prison-bound Paul says at a time you’d think he’d be complaining like crazy. Listen to how he tells the Philippians that they can be shining lights for Jesus: “Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world ” (Philippians 2:14-15 HCS

It’s the big scare of 2020. By that, I don’t mean that the virus named for the crown that can be seen on it through a microscope, is not a dangerous threat. It certainly is, and people are dying because of it.There is good reason to be concerned. First, this particular virus (Wuhan Coronavirus) is one that has never been seen before. So it’s new, or at least, new to us. Because of that, we don’t have a vaccination for it or an effective treatment, other than boosting the body

This is one of the most damaging misunderstandings of our day. You don’t have to let your feelings dominate your life. You can manage your emotions. But the more you tell yourself that you can’t, the more likely you will give in and struggle with emotional dominance. And when a person is controlled by their feelings, the outcome is almost always detrimental to their lives, as well as the lives of those around them.A life dominated by feelings, rather than by wisdom, is at odd

I did a lot of fishing as a kid. I have memories of my friends and I waking up in the dark, riding our bikes with fishing poles in tow, to the river, to have our lures in the water by dawn. We fished like real fishermen. We kept and cleaned the fish we caught, and our families often ate them the same day. Fresh fish was a delicacy in my home.There aren’t very many fisherman who actually keep and clean fish anymore. When people tell me their fish stories, I ask, “Do you keep t

In last week’s post, we talked about having a Quiet Time . Maybe you’ve tried to establish one before. But after a couple of days it fell by the wayside. How can you get a daily quiet time established and then stick to it? Start by making a reservation for God, a time, an appointment in your day, and be absolutely religious about keeping it. For me, first thing in the morning works best. I find it to be the best way to start my day. You might have to get up a little earlier,

“The very moment you wake up each morning, all your wishes and hopes for the day rush at you like wild animals. And the first job each morning consists simply in shoving them all back; in listening to that other voice, taking that other point of view.” – C. S. Lewis in Mere ChristianityThe first time I read that quote I thought, “How true!” My greatest battle is with myself––and it starts the moment I wake up.That’s why spending alone time with God in prayer and reading Scri

Penelope Stokes in Words In Season wrote, “The trouble with turning over a new leaf is that once you’ve done it twice, you’re right back where you started.”I recently read that more bad habits are broken in the month of January than during any other month. And yet that same article pointed out that only a small percentage of New Year’s resolutions are realized long-term.I’d like to encourage you. Change in your life is not only possible, it is necessary. When Christians stop

In a few days, marijuana will be legal in Illinois. So…will it be OK for Christians?First, there are a lot of things that are legal that Christians are obligated to refrain from. Abortion is legal. Fornication is legal. Even adultery is technically legal. Drunkenness is legal, if in private. But each of these are quite clearly forbidden for us who claim to follow Jesus. The approval of the state does not automatically equate to the approval of God.What, then, does God think a

Many years ago, my friend, Bob, described to me how he envisioned the perfect Christmas. He said, "I’m sitting on an old fashioned park bench next to my girlfriend, under an old fashion park lamp. The snow is lightly falling, and I pull a small wrapped gift out of my pocket and give it to my girl. She opens it and throws her arms around me. That would be my perfect Christmas." And I don’t know if it every played out that way, though he did marry a wonderful woman. I’m not sur

The only reason Christians celebrated Jesus’ birth on December 25 was because the Romans had a pagan celebration on that day and Christians took it over. Right?Wrong.Serious scholars do not believe that. There’s no evidence for it. We have nothing in writing from early church fathers or ancient historians that indicate that Christmas was a takeover of a Roman holiday. It’s just something that historians assumed hundreds of years later and passed on, though there’s nothing to

Here it is….Christmas season! Are you ready? Decorations up? Gift list completed? Shopping started? Plans for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day settled?I already made my case for doing Christmas differently in last week’s blog. This week, I thought I’d make it more hands on, and practical.If we are going to keep Christ in Christmas, what is that going to look like?First, find a way a to be Jesus to those who need Him. Look for creative ideas to be a blessing to some who are str

How was your Thanksgiving? The trouble is, even before we could really contemplate our gratitude, this world is churning out its marketing ploy for Christmas, instigating dissatisfaction and greed.Even though we all say that we hate the merchandising of Christmas, we give way to it. The message of Jesus’ birth was lost a long time ago, and now the greed that took over Christmas has invaded Thanksgiving too. Black Friday is now Black Thanksgiving . Sad.But I want to challenge