If you know a little about the birth of Jesus, it might be best for you to forget it and start from scratch. The Christmas story has been so sanitised and romanticised over the centuries that even Hollywood—as jaded a culture as can be found anywhere—always fails to capture the gritty pathos that surrounded Jesus’s […]
Read MoreCategory Archives: Christmas
Growing Closer to God: Celebrating Jesus
We began our journey this year with the goal of growing closer to God by modeling Jesus’s life and character in the world around us. This month, we celebrate Jesus and the access to God we have through Him. Eugene Peterson’s The Message describes Jesus’s incarnation in this refreshing way: The Word became flesh and […]
Read MoreGod Had a Plan (and Still Does)
For the longest time, I didn’t understand the new-car industry. I had always thought when a person wanted an automobile, he or she dropped by the local dealership, kicked a few tyres, and placed the order with the salesperson. I figured that when headquarters got the specs, they’d scurry around the shop to find the […]
Read MoreA Gift Too Wonderful for Words
Long ago in a quiet, crude place where animals sleep, Mary gave birth and felt the soft, human skin of her firstborn. The humanity of this scene appropriately pulls us in for a closer look. We can identify with Joseph’s confusion, with Mary’s wonder, and with the shepherds’ amazement about the Son of God’s quiet […]
Read MoreA Season for Humble Gratitude
It’s baaaack! The age-old yuletide season is about to slip in the door once again. Better not shout, better not pout, for the shopping precinct will be playing “Jingle Bells” several thousand times between now and 25th December. If you’re not careful, the crowds and commercialism will weigh you down like that fourth helping of […]
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