“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love…” (Eph 4:2)
Each year as Valentine’s Day approaches, thoughts turn to expressions of love. What does love mean to you? It means something different to me now that I’m – ahem – 40 than it did when I was 20. I’m in a different season of life and have had experiences that have reinforced some of my beliefs and caused me to question others. Continue reading “Love Is Action”
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness…” (Eph 4:22-24)
The holidays are over, and I’ve taken down all the Christmas decorations and put them away for safekeeping until next year. Each year, this ritual leaves me feeling a little sad, but also a little energized. There’s just something about the joy of the Christmas season that makes me want to leave things out as long as possible, but as much as I enjoy the decorations, I want my house back in order even more. Continue reading “Celebrating Christmas All Year”
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Cor 5:17)
The new year is a time of renewal, when the rolling over of the calendar brings the opportunity for a fresh start. The slate has been wiped clean, and we all have a chance to write a new story – our story – and make it the best story we can in the coming year. We can leave behind the regrets and mistakes of the previous year. The new year brings something the old year no longer has – hope. Hope for a different outcome, hope that things will be better, hope that relationships will be restored, hope that Jesus will make things right. Continue reading “Hope in the New Year”
“What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:31)
Each New Year’s Day, we make resolutions that we don’t keep. We have good intentions – to be more intentional or to lose weight – but inevitably, we give up after a few weeks. Only eight percent of us keep our resolutions. There are many reasons for this, including trying to make large changes without a fully-formed plan to make smaller changes along the way. Instead of looking at our setbacks as failures, we should use them as a catalyst to move forward. Continue reading “Be Bold”
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” Luke 2:11
