The word “holiday” comes from the phrase “holy day.” The idea with holy days is that they're set apart from the normal hustle and bustle of everyday life to help us celebrate, focus on, and learn from something godly and exceptional. Christmas is a holy day. But when we treat it as a “holiday” it doesn’t … Continue reading Turn holidays into holy days with this prayer
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The Great Disarmer
This week you will meet someone who upsets you. They might upset you a little. Or they might upset you a lot. Maybe they’re in your own family and say something to rub you the wrong way. Or maybe they’re a friend, classmate or co-worker whose actions scratch the invisible chalkboard of your brain. So … Continue reading The Great Disarmer
The beggar and the King
Elisabeth Elliot tells us a story about a beggar and a King. A beggar was sitting at the side of the street with his hat outstretched asking for money. Then he noticed that the King himself was coming, complete with his whole entourage. This was his lucky day! How could the King refuse to give … Continue reading The beggar and the King
Muck on your boots or wind at your back?
When I was in high school I remember walking into a room where painters were working away. I was overwhelmed by the paint fumes. I asked one of them how they could stand all the fumes. He replied, “What fumes?” They had become so used to them that they didn’t even notice anymore! In a similar way, … Continue reading Muck on your boots or wind at your back?
The courage to face ridicule for God
No matter who or how old you are, I’m pretty sure you want your Christmas to be meaningful. And you don’t have to look further than Joseph for some help to do just that. When Joseph married Mary he stepped into a world of ridicule. After all, she would have given birth to Jesus LESS … Continue reading The courage to face ridicule for God
What the seventh seven means for you
Humans were designed for one day of rest per week. They need it to be at their best the other six days. But even if you go to school or work five days a week, the other two days don’t always feel like rest, do they? The bully we call Busy has muscled his way … Continue reading What the seventh seven means for you
A surprising kind of fatigue
Fatigue comes in many different forms. -Not getting enough sleep can leave you tired. -Being stressed can leave you tired. -I think that not eating well or exercising can also leave you tired. But there’s another kind of tired that I want to tell you about. And you definitely don’t need it dragging down your … Continue reading A surprising kind of fatigue
The view from the top
Every day we’re faced with choices about what route we’re going to take. These come in the form of decisions. A lot of them are simple. You don’t even have to think about them. But there are also difficult choices. These are choices like whether to do the right thing or the easy thing; whether … Continue reading The view from the top
When you KNOW what’s important…
In yesterday’s devotional I talked about resisting the holiday hurricane. The holidays can seem like a storm that sweeps us away. It can get incredibly busy, expensive, shallow and stressful—dislodging us from our sensible moorings in a bluster of candy cane flavoured insanity. In light of this, one way to resist the storm and make your … Continue reading When you KNOW what’s important…
Resisting the Holly Jolly Hurricane
I think something is broken about Christmas. Not in terms of what it means, but in how we celebrate it. Do you find Christmas too busy, expensive, shallow or stressful? If so, you may be getting sucked into the Holly Jolly Hurricane that starts to blow every December, carrying all of us away from our … Continue reading Resisting the Holly Jolly Hurricane
