Yesterday I wrote about the life of Joseph in the Christmas story, and that obedience means love + trust + action. I know many of you want to live this life of obedience in your relationship with God because you know he loves you. You know that he has your best in mind. You know he understands things you don't understand. And you want to live that kind of life. Joseph show...

Put yourself in his shoes for a minute. Here I am: I'm Joseph. I've just learned that the girl I'm engaged to is pregnant. And it doesn't make sense. Everything that I know about her, everything that I've experienced with Mary, it doesn't make sense that she would be pregnant. And not only that, she's telling me some crazy story about meeting with an angel and a virgin bir...

In the Christmas story, the Bible reveals that there was no room at the inn, so Mary and Joseph were turned away. The fact that the innkeeper didn't make room for Jesus did not stop Jesus from being born. My actions don't stop God. He has his plan in history. History is his story. When the innkeeper said no room it didn't hurt God. It just hurt the innkeeper. He missed the...

Who were the wise men in the Christmas story? The answer is we don't know. We do know that the Bible calls them "magi." Magi were kind of a combination of philosopher, scientist and astronomer. They were quite wealthy. They were well educated. That's really about all we know about them. Where did they come from? We don't know. The Bible says they came a long way from the...

Yesterday we took a look at the wise men in the Christmas story. If you missed part one of this blog series, you can READ HERE. What made the wise men wise? 3. They didn't stop until they met JESUS. That's what made them wise. If you're wise and you're seeking, you will not stop in your investigation until you meet Jesus. Matt 2:10-11a When they saw the star, they were...

Some people get excited when a new year rolls around. They see it as a clean slate, a fresh start. Out with the old, and in with the new. But for many, the new year can feel like 365 days of uncertainty and stress. So, how do you face an uncertain future? So, as we head into 2019 next week, here's three promises of success from God's Word. God says, "If you do these three...

New Year, new you! 365 new opportunities! What other sayings often accompany the new year? In part one of this blog series, we learned that the new year can actually be a time of uncertainty and stress for many people. So, how do we face 2019 with less stress? We learned that in order to face an uncertain future, we must set up a plan. The second thing we have to do in or...

The reason we celebrate Christmas is to remember our savior's birth. It's to celebrate Jesus' birthday. The question is, "What are we going to give Jesus for his birthday?" What do you give the God who has everything? Actually he doesn't have everything. There are three things he doesn't have unless we give them to him. WHAT SHOULD I GIVE TO JESUS? 1. I give Jesus my T...

I John 4:16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love. The most talked about attribute of God is probably the one that is most misunderstood. First, don't confuse this. It says, "God is love"; it doesn't say, "Love is God." There's a big difference. It's the same difference as saying, "My dog is a girl" or "My girl is a dog." God ...

Last week, we began a blog series about a song that Jesus' mother, Mary, wrote in the book of Luke. In her song she explains 5 reasons why she accepted God's destiny for her life. Here are the last two reasons Mary gives as to why we should live for God and not ourselves. Because God Honors Humility It takes humility to say, "God, I'm going to go with your plan, not my ...