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It’s not that this is the only time of the year that you get stressed out. But right now, you aren't thinking of last July when you had that meltdown. All you can think about is everything that is on your plate with Christmas coming less than a week away.You can be at peace this Christmas and you can find that peace now, so that you actually enjoy Christmas this year.It’s not complicated. I’ve got three simple steps for you. Take these steps seriously and follow them and they

The headline had it wrong. I’m not blaming NBC news, they were only quoting the current president of South Africa. But presidents even get things wrong sometimes. The headline and the quote, “He is now at peace,” was just a reference to Nelson Mandela’s burial. But Nelson Mandela was at peace long before he passed away. I’m not trying to deify him or any of the many things we do with beloved figures after their deaths. But one thing Nelson Mandela was not––a man of resentment

I opened my fantasy football page to rearrange my team for this week and was surprised that the regular season was already over. What? Already? It is midway through December. Boy did that go fast. And then I thought about my life. A few days ago my oldest little boy was toddling around proudly sporting his red cowboy boots. Oh wait, that was twenty-five years ago. Wow that went fast. Now he has a daughter almost that age. And its not slowing down. I’ve been at The Bridge for

Some passages in the Bible are hard to read. I just finished the Book of Judges and it was tough to get through. Not that the book is boring. Judges is full of interesting stories of war and leadership…mostly the lack of leadership. It contains the familiar stories of Gideon and Samson. But even in those familiar stories there is such a dark side to the circumstances and the people involved, even the heroes of the book, that it’s hard to read. The last three chapters are the

I find it interesting that people want to know in the aftermath of the death of a famous person whether or not they were followers of Jesus. I heard it after Steve Jobs’ passing (he was a non-practicing Buddhist) and even more so now after Mandela’s death. Mandela was a man of great passion. If you study his life, you will also find that, like most of us, he was complex. He courageously fought the injustices of racism but embraced violence and forms of terrorism in doing so.

You’ve tried before. In fact, probably quite a few times. But after a couple of days it always falls by the wayside. How can you get a daily quiet time established and then stick to it? There’s a great lesson in the Christmas story that helps. Mary and Joseph showed up at Bethlehem and tried to get a room, but they couldn’t. The only motel in town was full. How'd that happen? Well of course this was the first century and they didn’t have modern communication available. It’s n

This is no joke. I really thought it was when I first read about it, but its real and these people are sincere. They are planting atheist churches around the world and raising money to do so. People are giving to establish these churches and hundreds are attending. Here’s what the AP reported regarding the “godless church” plant in Los Angeles, "It looked like a typical Sunday morning at any mega-church. Several hundred people, including families with small children, packed i

Every year around this time I get questions from moms and dads asking for my opinion on Santa Claus: “Did you tell your kids there is a Santa?” Some are very adamant: “Santa Claus is a replacement of Jesus in this secularized society and just another way of spreading the materialism of this age.” Others see the fable as harmless delightful fantasy: “I believed in Santa when I was a kid and it didn’t hurt me! It’s just a fun way to give the kids a little magical spark during t

Loneliness is hard. And this is the hardest time of year for being lonely. For some, it’s a temporary period. But for others, it’s been a lifelong trial. God cares about you in this struggle, and he has answers for our problems. If you are lonely, many Bible characters could identify with you. Even Jesus knew the pain of abandonment, rejection, and the feeling of being all alone in the world. You might not be able to change some of the circumstances that have led to this, but

You should skip Thanksgiving this year if you are a grumbler, complainer, or generally negative person. After all, you’ll just be a hypocrite. Why would you celebrate a day that you don't believe in? If your modus operandi is to look for what you think is wrong and voice it, just forget the day. Everyone will be looking at you like, “What’s she dong here?” Now if you are wondering if this post is written for you… just check with a friend or two :-). Seriously, Thanksgiving is

My wife was pretty frustrated while trying to open one of those impossible clear molded plastic packages, “I wonder how many people wind up with stitches from these stupid plastic packages. I’ll bet the emergency room is full of injured people at Christmastime." I didn’t blame her for being frustrated. I avoid buying anything packaged that way if I can help it. I actually pay more for an item when it is in a box or a simple container, rather than having to fight with a heat s

Is Thanksgiving a Christian holiday? That depends on how you celebrate it. There’s nothing Christian about gluttony. While I love football, and a lot of committed Christians will be playing in the traditional Thanksgiving games, there’s nothing Christian about football per se. Just having the day off and getting together with a big group of people will not make the holiday “Christian”.On the other hand, the concept is deeply Christian. The worship book of the ancient Israelit