Posts with the category “adventure”

IntroductionThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENShare one of your favorite memories of this year’s Christmas season that you will “treasure in your heart.” And, if you make them, share one new year’s resolution or one thing you’re looking forward to about t...  Read More

“Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”  Luke 2:33-35 NLTJe...  Read More

When my first child was born, he was beautiful, healthy, and a crier.  Man that kid could blow the windows out of a house.  But he also had an issue; he was colicky and had acid reflux, which mainly meant that for 7 months, he rarely slept more than two hours at a time.  This means, of course, that his parents rarely slept more than two hours at a time (and if you’ve seen me, you know I need my be...  Read More

It’s a favorite Christmas hymn whose lyrics include…Away in a mangerNo crib for a bedThe little Lord JesusLay down His sweet head - (SO CUTE)The stars in the skyLook down where He layThe little Lord JesusAsleep on the hay - (ANGELIC)The cattle are lowingThe poor baby wakesBut little Lord JesusNo crying He makes - (YEAH RIGHT, NO WAY!)Though I truly love this song, I’ve always had issue with, “No c...  Read More

“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the ang...  Read More

At the end of each week of this series, we’ve been asking ourselves the question of what it looks like for us to live incarnational today, in the context of the topic for that week.  With this week’s focus on the angels of the Christmas story, and since angels were God’s messengers (the word in the Greek for angels, angelos, literally means messengers), how do you and I continue to herald the mess...  Read More

“Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.’”Matthew 6: 9-10, NLTHave you ever imagined heaven?  Where it is?  What it will be like?When I was little, someone told me that heaven was located beyond the middle star in the belt of the constellation we call Orion.  Because I believed them, there we...  Read More

“[The shepherds] hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger. AFter seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.  All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished…the shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen.  It was just as ...  Read More

Joy to the world, the Lord is comeLet earth receive her KingLet every heart prepare Him roomAnd heaven and nature singAnd heaven and nature singAnd heaven, and heaven and nature singJoy to the world, the Savior reignsLet all their songs employWhile fields and floodsRocks, hills and plainsRepeat the sounding joyRepeat the sounding joyRepeat, repeat the sounding joy- Isaac WattsIf you were anything ...  Read More

“And the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” John 1: 14, NLT“She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’).”Isaiah 7: 14b, NLTIt may take us an eternity to wrap our brains around the idea of a God who would become one of His creation to save that creation from a rebellion of their own choosing.  The idea of the Holy Uncreated One becoming Create...  Read More

“That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, t..  Read More

IntroductionThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENCan you remember a risk that you have taken in your life that was scary, for whatever reason?  Share about what it was and how taking that risk impacted you.or…In light of the holidays, share about a present y...  Read More

Rome represented earthly power run by greed, and all that those things represent; selfishness and self-preservation, lust, jealousy, etc…. But Rome also represents the world we live in, where at every turn we “look out for number one” and do our best to have and be a little more than our neighbor.And yet, it is into this world that Jesus came, to show us a different way of living, a different kind...  Read More

For 14 years, I served as a campus chaplain at an Adventist University that was well known for sending student missionaries to serve around the world.  These students would take a year out of their collegiate career to teach elementary children in PohnPei, serve at an orphanage in Honduras, work on radio towers in far away lands so more people could have access to the good news of Jesus Christ.  W...  Read More

What can we take away from Herod’s role in the Christmas Adventure?I like Tim Keller’s reflections from his book, Hidden Christmas, he says, ”In every heart, then, there is a ’little King Herod’ that wants to rule and that is threatened by anything that may compromise its omnipotence and sovereignty. Each of us wants to be the captain of our own soul, the master of our own fate. There is a natural...  Read More

Though many of the religious leaders had found a way to thrive under Roman rule, there were still many who longed for the coming of the promised Messiah.  Undoubtedly, there were many prophecies recited and many hopes shared around camp fires and in small homes throughout the Hebrew countryside.Remember, more Hebrews lived outside of the cities than in them.  This meant the dominant culture was ag...  Read More

“At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of ...  Read More

IntroductionThe following is a guide to help facilitate discussion. Feel free to add, subtract, or change questions to fit the conversation, and pray for the Spirit to lead in all things.OPENShare a favorite Christmas tradition as it relates to the holiday story.  It may be a favorite song and why, or an ornament on your tree, or a family tradition, or anything else that you look forward to that c...  Read More

“After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance.” Matthew 2:13-16 NLT  Read More

“And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.”Luke 2:6-7 NLT“Some have argued that the supreme miracle of Christianity is not the resurrection of Christ from the dead, but the incarnation.” (Timothy Keller)What is unique to t...  Read More

“At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census. And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of ...  Read More

“Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”…After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped...  Read More

“In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. God sent a man, John the B...  Read More

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.”Micah 5:2 NLTThere are prophecies, and then there are prophecies.    This one from Micah was given 700 years before it would be fulfilled, during a time of religious revival.  Sadly, that revival didn’t last long.  W...  Read More

It’s the end of October and I’ve just started writing this series guide.  It’s a Christmas series, so naturally, to get myself in the mood, I listened to my first Christmas album.  For some of you, you just rolled your eyes in disgust at the very thought of introducing Christmas to our lives before Thanksgiving.  Others of you, one person in particular, just told me they started listening to Chris...  Read More