A new year, a new heart John Bell had a chance to do something most of us will hopefully never be able to do: he held his own heart in his hands. Bell had undergone a successful heart transplant two...

Words for the coming year Beginning in 2011, I ditched resolutions and started the practice of using just one word to give me direction and keep me on track the whole year. Today, I looked back over...

The wonderful future “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever.” (Revelation 21:4 (TLB). Ironically...

Priorities for the new year When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child… But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart....

God’s amazing love But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:8 (NLT) ‘While we were still sinners’ – these are amazing words....

Facing an uncertain future The Luhya people of western Kenya have a saying about the uncertainties of future life. It goes, “Injila shiboolanga akali mwilia.” In English, that would be, “The...

And so – Amen Part ten and the final one of a series of studies on the Lord’s Prayer “Praise be to you, Lord…from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and...

The joy of Christmas Christmas is my favorite holiday. It’s more than just a single day — it’s an entire season! Here in America you “hear” the Christmas season before you see it. That’s...

A Holy Night My favorite Christmas hymn is O Holy Night. Every time I hear the words “fall on your knees” I get a chill and find myself singing along with the angel voices. O Holy Night, “also...

The gift that keeps on giving But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” Luke 2:10 (NIV) Recently I went to stay with my...

Away in a Manger Part four of a series on Christmas songs ‘This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ (Luke 2:12 NIVUK) It seems to me that whoever...

God’s “one and only”  He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet...

A suitable place?  So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register...

Hungry, doubting God and seeking power Part nine of a series of studies on the Lord’s Prayer “ ‘And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ ” Matthew 6:13 (NIV) We...

The full package of peace One of the themes of  Advent is peace. It’s a wonderful reminder of yet another Christmas gift we can anticipate in Jesus’ coming to us. And the gift of peace is...

A New Word for Advent It’s officially everyone’s favorite time of year – Thanksgiving (in the US) is in the rear-view mirror and wait – the Christmas lights and trees have been...

God with us ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ (which means ‘God with us’). Matthew 1:23 (NIVUK) Christmas is supposed to be the time when...

  Hark! the Herald Angels Sing Part three of a series on Christmas songs Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,  “Glory to God in the...

Silent witness – joy to the world “You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.” Luke 1:31 (NIV) The Christmas festive season is with us and you may be...

Highly favored Mary’s initial response to Gabriel wasn’t any different than any of us would have responded. Luke tells us she was greatly troubled at the greeting. Another way of saying this would...

Forgiveness and freedom Part eight of a series of studies on the Lord’s Prayer “ ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.’ ” Matthew 6:12(NIV) This second part of the...

The witness of Christmas music Can you imagine the Christmas season without Christmas carols? The music of Christmas is one of my favorite parts of the season. And I feel sorry for anyone who...

Swaddled hope When you read the Old Testament, which primarily tells of the Messiah and secondarily the story of God’s people, you can see why Israel hung all their hopes and prayers on the...

Joy to the world … “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” Luke 1:46-47 (NIV) I find the beginning of the biblical books of Matthew, Luke and John very exciting....

Breath of Heaven Part two of a series on Christmas songs ‘…I no longer live, but Christ lives in me…’ (Galatians 2:20 NIVUK) The song Breath of Heaven1 tells the story of the Nativity from...

Go tell it on the mountain! The stories of Christmas fascinate me. Don’t we discover a kinship with the shepherds as we rehearse the birth narrative? Aren’t we just ordinary people like them who...

The autumn of our years! Even when I am old and grey, do not forsake me, my God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your mighty acts to all who are to come. Psalm 71:18 (NIVUK) The poet...

Food for thought Part seven of a series of studies on the Lord’s Prayer “ ‘Give us today our daily bread.’ ”  Matthew 6:11 (NIV) The fragile human bodies we inhabit need constant...

The sunrise of peace One of my favorite sunrise experiences was on a beach in Florida. As I looked across the Atlantic Ocean, there was just a faint glimmer of light on the watery horizon. It started...

Sending words of hope One of my hobbies is making greeting cards. I’m not artistic, but I’m pretty good at copying (so thankful for Pinterest). I enjoy creating something beautiful out of...

Prepare ye the way of the Lord For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet [Isaiah], saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight....

Santa Claus is coming to town   Part one of a series on Christmas songs …it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by...

Wounding friends Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. (Proverbs 27:6 KJV) I was 21 years old when my father died suddenly and no one in my family knew how to...

Christ is surely coming “…why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11...

What on earth… Part six of a series of studies on the Lord’s Prayer “‘…your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.’” Matthew 6:10 (NIV) There are several...

Hope is the final word When we think of passages to read for Christmas, we usually don’t flip straight to Jeremiah. The “weeping prophet” spent most of his career watching Israel be brutally and...

Gifts of love Have you ever received a gift, and instead of saying thank you, you told the giver, “I don’t deserve this”? If you’ve said that, you’ve probably heard a...

How to wait for the return of Jesus ‘…keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief...

The power of the Holy Spirit For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)   Anyone who has witnessed a lightning bolt and loud...

Man’s insatiable desire for knowledge “The secret things belong to the Lord our God…” Deuteronomy 29:29 (NKJV) In 2004 the European Space Agency launched a mission to land an investigative...