December, 2014

• 14 December

  Cheers! You, Your Teen and Holiday Alcohol Consumption

  

  The stockings were hung by the chimney with care… …and Dad passed out beers without so much as a care? With holiday festivities well under way, many partygoers will be drinking and toasting the season—teens included. And believe it or not, many of those teens will get the liquor from ...

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• 14 December

  Healthy Holiday Foods – The Sweet Potato

  

  Anti-oxidants and vitamins and fiber – oh my! The aroma of sweet and savory delicacies during the holidays is enticing. The sweet potato is no exception. It’s equally delicious in a quick bread, a casserole or a pie. It can hold its own as a side dish dressed with only ...

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• 14 December

  Help! My Phone Won’t Leave Me Alone!

  

  Are you stuck in the cell-phone cycle? You promise yourself that you don’t need it. It’s just a simple tool connecting you to the outside world that is not always necessary. Yet you cannot seem to disconnect yourself long enough without having sweat bead up on your forehead or in ...

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• 13 December

  Our Hope: Lessons From Sunday School

  

  ‘You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.’  Titus 2:1 (NIV) Lessons from Sunday school are not always the ones taught to the students in the class.  Quite often, the teachers also derive great benefits from the lessons they teach.  Consider this.  If we have been permitted to ...

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• 13 December

  Merry Christmas to Happy Holidays?

  “Here’s your order sir.” “Thank you ma’am. Have a good day, and a Merry Christmas.” “Oh, uhmm, you have a…happy holiday as well.” Yep, this was an actual conversation I had with a clerk, while ordering lunch one day this past week. Jesus has officially become a taboo subject on ...

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• 13 December

  There Are Still Teenage Heroes

  I remember the pressure in my teen years, probably the hardest years of my life.   I knew I was no hero.  Unpopular, pimpled and never asked out on a date.   I was prude by default it seemed like and I made plenty of bad choices that if I could change, I would.  However, life ...

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• 13 December

  Fulfill Your Purpose

  

  It is a phrase tossed about rather lightly:  made in the image of God.  Pausing to think about what this really means is an adventure not to be missed.  It has the potential to change how we look at ourselves and others; it has the power to transform our relationships…and ...

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• 13 December

  Churches, are you doing the Nativity right?

  Earlier this week, I had a depressing conversation with a co-worker.  My co-worker described to me that his church was not doing their usual “Living Cross” play.  The play reenacts the events leading up to, during, and after the birth of Christ.  The church has done the play for many ...

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• 12 December

  Your Appointed Work

  

  Marie lived many years ago. She came from a poor farm family in Kentucky, and left home at seventeen to be married. She lived an ordinary life, filled with hard work and little extra. But Marie had a God-given musical talent. She could play piano, guitar, and violin “by ear.” ...

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• 12 December

  No More Ruffles

  

  One of the things that amazes me most about Jesus (and what I wish I had more of) is His “never get ruffled” demeanor.  Have you noticed that, particularly in John 5?  No matter what the circumstances, He always responded with quiet, calm assurance.  Peace and quiet confidence wrapped around ...

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