Who hasn’t cringed in early October as stores drag out the artificial Christmas trees and put them on display? Who doesn’t dread the extra traffic and the gaggle of people in the shopping malls when you have to go get something that has nothing to do with Christmas? Who hasn’t felt uneasy about the obligatory exchange of gifts with individuals you hardly know? Or sending Christmas cards to people you haven’t written to since the last Christmas card you sent them?
Read MoreTag Archives: Philippians
Genuine Joy
In my words, the apostle Paul would tell us that joy isn’t fickle; it doesn’t need a lot of things to keep it smiling. Joy is deep and consistent—the oil that reduces the friction of life.
Read MoreContentment
Isn’t it strange that we need a book to help us experience what ought to come naturally? No, not really . . . not when we’ve been programmed to compete, achieve, increase, fight, and worry our way up the so-called ladder of success (which few can even define).
Read MoreHow Do I Overcome Anxiety?
Question: Last month, I thought I was having a heart attack. My pulse was racing, my palms were sweating, and I started breathing heavily, as if I were going to pass out. I went to the hospital, and they said my heart was fine—what I had experienced was a panic attack. Now I have anxiety […]
Read MoreUnwrap Joy This Christmas
We sing a lot about “joy” each December. Have you noticed? We’ll offer “tidings of comfort and joy,” and we’ll join our voices on carols with titles like, “How Great Our Joy!” and “Joy to the World!” There’s just one problem. We aren’t joyful. Oh, we sing the songs and sip the hot chocolate and […]
Read MoreWhat Do We Tell the Children?
How do we explain to children that Christmas signifies God drawing near to His people? By example is a great place to start. Young children in particular don’t work so well with ideas in abstract form. They take things very literally. Much better to show them from things they already know. Get down on the […]
Read MoreSurrounded by Our Gods
When the Apostle Paul arrived in Athens he caught the attention of the local brain trust. As was his habit, on arriving he sought out the synagogue to proclaim first to the Jews that their Messiah had come, died, and defeated death itself. But his spirit was troubled in that great city (Acts 17:16). When […]
Read MorePeace that Exceeds Understanding
Peace. Whisper the word to yourself and you can almost feel your heart relax. When you’re at peace, you feel an inner confidence that things are not running wild—regardless of the circumstances. Your mind is at rest. Your heart doesn’t flutter with anxiety. Your focus is clear. But far too often, peace is like that […]
Read MoreIt Takes Grace to Get Along
In Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, joy is one of the main themes, along with perseverance and hope. These make Philippians one of the best-loved of the New Testament letters. Quarrels don’t readily spring to mind. But chapter four specifically names two women who were at odds. Paul names them, and recruits help […]
Read MoreFollow Me
The tension has been building for many years. The rhetoric has gradually been increasing after each of the last several local and national elections. But at the start of 2016, we began to hear from our elected MPs on what they believed was best for Great Britain as a referendum vote was called for by […]
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