On that first Christmas, just moments after Jesus was born, it probably appeared to Joseph that the long-expected Messiah had arrived at an inappropriate place with no fanfare or announcement at all. Between the baby's delivery and the shepherd's disturbance, Joseph might have thought he was the only one. God had hidden from Joseph many future events. He knew Jesus was God’s Son, born to save His people from their sins. And for Joseph, at this moment, that was all God chose to show him. And … [Read more...]
Ordinary & Useful
For those of us who’ve heard the Christmas story a time or ten thousand, there is a tendency to slide right through Luke 2 this time of year without much thought. There it is again. “In those days a decree went out…” It hasn’t changed since last year -- or for the past two millennia for that matter. There doesn’t seem to be much in this story that applies to ministry, work, marriage, or parenthood. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine the Christmas story as anything but nostalgia and … [Read more...]
When the Gospel became Good News…to me
Have you ever thought that following Christ means you have to work really hard to earn your keep? The good news is that the gospel is the opposite of earning your keep! Today I'm writing over at (in)courage and sharing about When the Gospel became Good News! (<~Click to join me over there!) (In)courage is great about sending daily encouragement. You can sign up here to receive daily notes from (in)courage sent right to your inbox! … [Read more...]
The Chapter That Wasn’t
Some writers say, “ I always dreamed of writing a book.” But not me. I was always dreaming up ways to get out of writing. My go-to methods were double-spacing, large font, and recycling reports for multiple classes. Before I went to college I pleaded with four close friends, “Please pray that I will be able to write papers and essays. I hate writing!” Give me rote memorization or multiple choice any day! So it was as much a surprise to me as to anyone that one day I found myself typing at … [Read more...]
When Remarkable Faith Feels Less than Remarkable
Perusing a list of Christian book titles ought to be encouraging, inspiring, and helpful. Christ-following authors have urged us to demonstrate “Crazy Love,” implored us, “Don’t Waste Your Life,” and challenged us to live in a way that is “Radical,” and to “Do Hard Things.” We Christians know we ought to be living a life of demonstrated faith, and we truly want to live in a way that makes a difference. But as we read books or even just their titles, we may mistakenly imagine the hard, … [Read more...]
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