Encouraging.com

Forgive me for taking this verse a wee bit out of context, but I was at my wits end. I did not think I could keep it together. Then, while reading through the small book of Colossians, these words, “by him all things hold together” immediately jumped out at me.

Dec 31

Dec 31 God’s Arrow

God's Character, Salvation

If you are anything like me you may not enjoy war movies. Blood and guts, people dying – just not my thing to watch. It just hurts my heart to think things like these battles have happened and are still happening.

Even though not my favorite, I have watched bits and pieces of some war movies. I think back to ones fought with bows and arrows. Though embellished for the viewers’ entertainment, I can still picture the thousands of arrows flying through the air. Many of those same arrows pierced their intended targets while others fell by the wayside.

Dec 30

Dec 30 Blessing Overflow

Encouragement, Obedience

I knew the holiday season would prove difficult for my mother. She had moved into an assisted living facility in the midst of the COVID plague and could only receive visitors through a plexiglass wall. There would be no family Christmas gathering for her.

Dec 29

Dec 29 Cracker Box Christmas

Grace, Joy, Love

My grandmother loved to give everyone in the family Christmas gifts. As much as possible she made them by hand. She might make house shoes, hot pan holders, or doilies. She might even go so far as to buy a pair of socks for each of the guys.

Dec 28

Dec 28 Travel, Travel, Travel

Obedience, Peace

Travel, travel, travel, how many times have I complained about having to travel during the holidays? We’d pile the kids, luggage, and presents into the car and off we’d go. My bad attitude about doing it every single year probably affected everyone involved negatively.

Dec 25

Dec 25 The Gift of Worship

The long-awaited day finally arrived. The Magi beheld the Christ-child. They bowed. They worshiped. They presented their gifts.

Dec 24

Dec 24 Come Let Us Adore Him

We continue our look at the Magi’s journey to worship the newborn king. “Worship” (derived from the Old English word “weorth”) means to attribute worth to something. The Magi were on a journey to attribute worth to Jesus. Would you say that is your life pursuit—to attribute worth to Jesus?

Dec 23

Dec 23 The Sacrifice of Worship

The Magi set out on a journey to worship the newborn king. This journey was no easy task. Some say they traveled over 700 miles. Tradition tells us they traveled on camels, but any means of travel in that day for that distance would have been extremely difficult.

Dec 22

Dec 22 The Magi’s Belief

Faith/Trust, Praise, Worship

The Magi saw the star and believed a king was born. Their belief was life changing. They left behind the familiar and began a journey to find and worship this king. Belief in Jesus is always life changing! That which is familiar pales in light of seeking and worshiping Jesus Christ. The Magi teach us about worship, but first, let’s look at what they teach us about life-changing belief in Jesus.

Dec 21

Dec 21 The Star of Bethlehem

Tonight a rare event is happening. Just after sunset on the southwestern horizon you can witness the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Though these planets will be millions of miles apart, they will appear to be almost touching. An alignment of these planets occurs approximately every 20 years. However, this conjunction is exceptional because of how close Jupiter and Saturn will appear. An alignment of this greatness hasn’t occurred since March 4,1226. Their closeness will create a radiant point of light that is being called the Christmas Star or Star of Bethlehem.

Dec 18

Dec 18 Look What Is Under the Tree: Day 5

There is one gift left under the tree.

Can you see it there in the back, behind the tissue and the gold wrapping paper?

I saved it for last because it is just for you-- from me.

Dec 17

Dec 17 Look What Is Under the Tree: Day 4

The other day our youngest granddaughter and I were visiting about her upcoming birthday party. I asked her who would be at her party and she named several children from her kindergarten class, none of whom I knew. To make conversation, I asked her to tell me about them. A couple of half-hearted answers later, she said, “Don’t tell anybody, but I like the presents more than people.” Words spoken with a six year-old’s honesty, but a sentiment we can all relate to. Who doesn’t like presents?

Dec 16

Dec 16 Look What Is Under the Tree: Day 3

I don’t know about you, but my childhood Christmases weren’t all teddy bears and ballet slippers. It was also the season when practical needs came wrapped in holiday paper. One item I could pretty much count on to make an annual appearance under the tree was a new scarf.

Dec 15

Dec 15 Look What Is Under the Tree: Day 2

Do you remember two-part presents? When it was your turn to select a gift to open, an adult would say something like, “You can open that, but if you do, you need to open this package, too. If they aren’t opened together, they won’t make much sense.”

Dec 14

Dec 14 Look What Is Under the Tree: Day 1