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When Christmas Isn't Merry
Juxtaposed with the Christmas spirit is the reality that many people experience grief, or the memory of grief, more keenly at Christmas than at other times. Additionally, each Advent season there are people who get bad news, or experience a tragedy, or suffer an unexpected hardship, or are forced to endure an existing one. For many people, an idealistic Christmas spirit is unrealistic.
Dec 16, 2025
The Attacks on Young People
It is true that every generation has its own unique struggles and difficulties; not one has escaped hardship.
Dec 8, 2025
What Christmas Means to Me
This December 25 will be a milestone in my life. The year 2025 marks 20 years since I spent Christmas in an Iraqi war zone. For me, and for many others, this time of year is somber and haunting as well as cheerful and celebratory. Maybe we miss our brothers in arms. Maybe we remember things we wish we could forget. Maybe we miss that adrenaline constantly flowing through us. On December 24, 2005, our platoon geared up to attend the Christmas sermon. The preacher was a chaplai
Dec 1, 2025
Loving the Giver
With Thanksgiving a few days away, this is the time—of all times of the year—where it is natural for us to obey the words of the famous hymn and count our blessings. It is not hard for Biblically informed saints to find things for which to thank the Lord. As I often say, we have literally everything to thank the Lord for and nothing to complain about. At the very least, being delivered from eternity in hell is cause enough to fill your Thanksgiving with thankfulness. Howeve
Nov 24, 2025
A Thanksgiving to Remember
A Thanksgiving to Remember What happened to Thanksgiving? It seems to have slipped away unnoticed, or taken against its will. Halloween was half a month ago, preceded by weeks of commercial anticipation. November 1, before all the candy had been digested, the Christmas decorations came out, nearly a full two months before the actual day. It appears that Thanksgiving is getting skipped over this year. It is not the fault of Walmart, Home Depot, the mall, or the advertisements
Nov 17, 2025
Wisdom's Delight
Recently in a question-and-answer session at NorthStone Baptist Church, I was asked what my favorite food is. My wife, Britan, and the keynote speaker of our Outreach Conference, Dr. John Goetsch, were asked the same question. The question could have been asked this way: What food do you delight in? What food do you welcome the sight of, and what taste makes you glad? We can answer this question not only about people, but about attributes of God, like wisdom.
Nov 11, 2025