

Jesus came to bring peace
Forty years ago this month, just days before Christmas, my father had a horrible car wreck caused by black ice. He nearly died in that wreck, and by all accounts should have; but God clearly wasn’t done with him yet. On his way to work at 5:30 am, his car hit the invisible ice at the bottom of a hill as he headed into a curve. Traveling 50 mph, his car, out of his control, careened over the steep embankment and slammed top first into a huge oak tree. The top of the car was sm


Jesus: approachable, accessible, available
I don’t think I’ve missed many sunrises on Christmas morning. As a child, I couldn’t wait to go find the gifts left under the tree for me. I know I always woke my parents much earlier than they wanted. As an adult, my kids returned the favor, making sure I was up bright and early every Christmas to watch the sun rise as they opened their gifts. Now that my youngest is 22, I’m thinking this may be the year I will get to sleep a little later… we’ll see. The excitement of fi


Jesus is God with us
When I was a child, I couldn’t wait for Christmas! I was so excited about opening all the wonderful gifts under the tree. I watched the calendar, with great anticipation, eagerly waiting for Christmas Day; and when It finally arrived, I was thrilled! God promised in the Old Testament, hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, that He would send a Messiah. His prophets offered many signs to watch for so that we would know that He had arrived. Isaiah offered this prophecy… 14

The Gift... worth waiting for
My wife has really done a wonderful job decorating our home for Christmas this year, and I am so thankful! I am ready for some Christmas, how ‘bout you? This year, I think a lot of people are craving what Christmas offers us… an unchanging, life-changing message of peace and hope! It is a message we can count on. Over the next three weeks, we are going to be learning more about the amazing gift worth waiting for. This week I want to challenge you to “prepare for it!” T