“I’m just trying to get through the holidays.” Sound familiar? If you like Christmas movies, this statement should ring a bell! This sentiment forms the central theme of—arguably—one of the top three holiday movies in box office history (including Christmas Vacation and Diehard; yes, both are Christmas movies). In the movie Elf, Jovie, a struggling department store clerk, laments to Buddy that...
In the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2:8 The shepherds on Christmas cards are clean, well-dressed, and tending white sheep. Those scenes seem far removed from our real world of problems, fears, and sorrows. But the truth is that the shepherds stood on the lowest rung of society. I found out why when I worked with sheep shearers...
Recently I was listening to Leonard Cohen’s popular song, Hallelujah, which is often played around the holidays. As I listened, I was struck by the phrase “broken hallelujah.” It made me think about how in weakness and suffering our praises to the Lord are often imperfect and broken. In Scripture, “hallelujah” means “praise God,” and there are countless passages that urge us to...
Do you need counseling? The answer depends on what you mean by “counseling,” and the kind of problem(s) you struggle with. Are your personal or relational problems overwhelming you, negatively impacting your daily life or relationships? While all of us face the common pressures of living in a fallen world, sometimes those challenges become too much to handle alone and hinder us from effectively...
The greatest prophetic foretelling of the coming of Christof is hidden in the book of Isaiah. During Isaiah’s prophetic ministry to Israel, Isaiah delivers the word to King Ahaz. In the years leading up to this prophetic moment, King Uzziah died, and his son Jotham took the throne of Judah. The Scriptures tell us that Jotham “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that his...
