Category Spiritual Markers

It's post-Christmas. Beware of how quickly society seeks to bury the manger underneath the mundane. As much as our culture wants Christmas to come, it wants the Christ of Christmas to disappear quickly. We have freely received - again. How can we freely give to keep Christmas alive?

Trite Christmas expressions like "Jesus is the reason for the season" are true - but they lack the power of a personal expression of how much Jesus means to you. Sing. Declare. Proclaim. Here's my own inadequate attempt to point to Jesus this season and to lend a note to the global chorus that Jesus loves me.

Christmas is not just about Jesus. It requires RESPONSE to Jesus. Here are four responses we see in the first Christmas. What is yours?

It's wonderful when we love our work. But should it be an expectation or "norm," or is it a blessing? And how can we be good stewards of our job-loving around those who may not enjoy theirs?

Sometimes we find ourselves "stuck." We drift from initial discomfort to eventual despondency. We long for something to happen, for a break to come our way, for our circumstances to change. I've found one principle that has helped me immensely when I find myself in the doldrums.

Reviewing a sermon on Sunday mornings is more challenging when events like #Charlottesville demand a response. The message of Jesus is not less important for current events like these but more powerfully relevant.