I’m very blessed to have been raised in a Christian family. I became a Christian when I was about four years old. At the time I definitely didn’t fully understand what Jesus’ sacrifice meant, I just knew I needed him as my Savior. Since then, I’ve learned much more about God, and He has taught me many lessons.  One night when I was seven, I woke up in the middle of the night to my parents talking loudly and my brother crying. It turns out my brother, who was three, had a seizure…

“Is it a sin for someone who doesn’t have a job to not tithe?”

Let’s start with a bombshell: I don’t think it’s a sin for ANY Christians not to tithe.*record scratch* “Wait, what?? You’re telling me I don’t have to give money to church? Aren’t you a pastor??”I guess we’d better define some terms. In the Old Testament, to “tithe” meant to give 10% of your produce or livestock to support the worship in the temple (but it was likely closer to 20%, when everything is accounted for)…

“Then he said to the crowd, ‘If any of you want to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.’”  

Luke 9:23-24 speaks about the cost and commitment of following Jesus. It emphasizes three key aspects: surrender, sacrifice, and daily devotion…

The original documents of the Bible were inspired by God. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness." and 2 Peter 1:20 says that Scripture was written when "men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God." So the Bible's words were co-authored by God and the men He spoke through. Since God cannot err, if the Bible really is His word, the Bible cannot err…

My all-time favorite verse is Philippians 4:4-8. This passage is so practical and helps me “do” life. It instructs me on how to live in Christ as a follower of His. God’s Word here encourages me and convicts me. This verse calms my heart in the middle of the night when life feels dark and hopeless and out of control. It ends with promising me the peace of God. It is a verse I cherish with all my heart and I feel like God put this in the bible just for me. So let’s get into it!

Forgiveness. If you’ve been in church for a while, it’s probably a word you’ve heard more times than you can  count — a non-negotiable for those who follow Jesus. Yet, when you’re face-to-face with the  person who hurt you, or left sitting alone with the pain, it feels like a battle you’re unsure you  want to fight. Let’s be real: it’s hard. Sometimes actually doing it can feel like climbing a  mountain with no summit in sight… impossible and pointless…

Finally, I was out of the riptide and back on my feet, standing in chest-deep water after what seemed like forever. I was exhausted. I didn’t know it but Jill had jumped in too and, as I looked to my right, she was in the riptide now and struggling hard toward the beach. In spite of her best swimming, she was moving steadily backward toward the open ocean and would be out of reach any second. My first instinct was to swim over to her as fast as I could…

Wads of crumpled wrapping paper peek out from under the couch in my tousled living room — the norm after our traditional post-present-opening paper wad fight. New sweaters, books, puzzles and games lay haphazardly under the slightly tilted Christmas tree along with a few broken ornaments. Sighing, I scan the mess and head into the kitchen to rummage hopefully for some leftover turkey and stuffing as rain lashes the window in the growing darkness. Spotify is still crooning my Christmas playlist, but the music seems out of place and the joy I had just a few days ago listening to the carols is gone. Christmas is over and spring feels like years away…

“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” We often sing these words at Christmastime, as we celebrate the birth of Christ.  But interestingly this song is about the second coming of Christ, not His first. More on that later. This song is still fitting to sing at Christmas as we celebrate the birth of Christ. We are filled with joy when we reflect on the first coming of our Lord and Savior, and we are joyful as we look forward to His return…