The first Christmas was scary. It troubled Mary (Luke 1:29). It took a dream from God to convince Joseph that God was behind it (Matthew 1:20). And the shepherds were all but undone by it (Luke 2:8, 9). Somewhere deep down in ourselves we realize that we do not deserve this divine visitation. King Ahaz […]
Week 50 Study |
Week 50 Application |
Down in the Weeds
Years ago I heard the CEO of a well-known restaurant chain speak to a group of Christian college students. He inspired the crowd with his speech and his answers during the Q&A session that followed. I was more impressed, though, after the event ended when our guest speaker got down on his knees to help […]
Week 49 Study |
We Are Healed
Jesus’ question to the lame man in John 5 seemed odd. “Do you want to be healed?” (English Standard Version). Of course he did—that is why he was at the Pool of Bethesda. But while many people might say they want to be healed, many really do not. Sheep (a metaphor for people in our […]
Guest Editorial |
There Is Hope
Despair is all around us. We see it in countless broken lives and in the tragic suicide rate. We see it at the bottom of the caste system in India, in the rampant sex trafficking industry plaguing many nations, and in the masses of humanity suffering under the brutal reigns of godless, totalitarian regimes. If […]
Week 49 Application |
The Bummer Lamb
We use the word bummerto express frustration and disappointment. Maybe you say things like, “It was a bummer that our team lost the game,” or “You lost your cell phone? What a bummer!” Have you heard of an animal called a bummer lamb? Shepherds use that phrase to describe a lamb raised away from its […]
