Life This Side of Heaven

Did you have a good Christmas? How often have you heard that question in recent days? It’s the familiar greeting, and question to share, as you and I catch up with friends after the holidays. And there are so many different ways to answer it. However, while others were nibbling on turkey you may have found yourself at the hospital, at the beside of someone you love whose health has taken a turn. T...

Yesterday was the eighth day of Christmas. In the Western ecclesiastical tradition, the celebration of Christmas begins with the birth of our Savior and continues right up to the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6. Coincidently it falls on January 1. But instead of simply the start of a new calendar and fireworks, Luke takes note a very significant event which almost goes unnoticed in the life of...

Permacrisis. It's a new word that was coined to describe the ongoing instability and insecurity that's come as a result of a variety of disturbing and catastrophic events in 2022. However, God has given us a far more remarkable word to describe what you and I have in His Son, our Savior – for this year now closing and for the one to come.

This year the Near Infrared Camera on the the James Webb Space Telescope has snapped some awe-inspiring pictures of the stars. And one picture in particular has been likened to man's hand reaching our to God. However, the great news of the Gospel is that God hand has reached down to us and given us a Savior. Here's where we see God's love for us with astonishing clarity.

"Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen, When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even." I don’t know about you but I’ve never tasted figgy pudding, dreamt of sugar plums dancing in my head or washed down tankard of wassail. But singing about some ancient king tromping through the snow may seem most removed from our daily lives. However, the Feast of Stephen us provides m...

You have God’s favor. That’s an incredible announcement. It's was announced by angels to the shepherds in the fields outside of Bethlehem. And it's also God's message to you. Here's what Christmas is all about!

It's been joked, "Be nice to your children. After all, they’re going to choose your nursing home.” That’s funny and intimidating at the same time. Joseph was entrusted with the remarkable responsibility of being the guardian of Jesus, the stepfather of our Savior, and protector of His mother Mary. It was a high honor to say the least – but it must have also been very intimidating. However, the one...

Believe. Seeing this word on ornaments and Christmas decorations at this time of the year warms our hearts. This glad tiding appears each year on bobbles, mugs, and it even adorns large balloons at Christmas parades. But the question which follows is, “Believe what?”

Is this the one? That’s the struggle every family has when they’re looking for a Christmas tree – whether real or artificial. What do you look for when you go searching for that tree that’s going to hold all the family ornaments and sparkle in the corner of your living room? Everyone has their own idea in mind of what a Christmas tree should look. But then, that’s also often true when it comes to...

You have to have patience if you’re a farmer. You have to have a lot of patience if you’re a Christmas tree farmer. James makes use of this example, of the farmer and his crops, to remind us of what it’s like to count down the days until our Lord’s coming. As he points out, being patient is far different from being idle. And there’s plenty of activity to fill our days as we wait for the joyous com...

What brings Isaiah to marvel in this text, is neither how high a deer can jump or even whether reindeer can fly. Sure, one is remarkable and the other is fanciful, but what the prophet declares is beyond precedent. He points to the time coming when God will ensure that the lame will leap like a deer.

Do we set our hopes too high for Christmas? That depends. The reality is that your life and mine rarely resemble the ones we see in movies. However, as the Paul points out, the answer isn’t lower our expectation. The surprising reality is that we often don’t set our hope high enough.

If you’ve ever had a tree removed on your property you’ll know how annoying it can be to get rid of the stump. And there are a lot of solutions suggested in how you can get rid of them. In Isaiah’s day, the nation had been reduced to what could only be described a stump. One corrupt and idolatrous king after another had led the people astray and driven it into the dirt. But as Isaiah points out, i...

Have you straightened the branches on your Christmas tree? There are instructions, and even videos online, to show you how. But how do you make "straight paths" for the Lord? Episode artwork courtesy of freebibleimages.org

Just as we anxiously await the arrival of loved ones, for the holidays, we may wish we had a phone that we could pick up and ask Jesus when He’ll be here. However, instead of a phone, God has given us His Word and with it a wonderful reminder of what this Season of Advent, which focuses on our Savior's coming, is all about.

Can you think of a skill that you learned back in school that you thought you would never use? Did you go on to discover that it was useful knowledge after all? In Isaiah, the prophet describes an activity to which we can look forward on the day of our Lord's coming. But it's no surprise that He has also enabled us to begin putting some of those skills to good use right now.

Would you like a “Wake Up Call”? That friendly service offered to guests, when you check into a hotel, continues to be a valued service for travelers. As we begin this Advent Season, Paul gives us a useful “wake up call” here in Romans.

It's Black Friday. One news outlet, like many others, has come up with their "Top 10 Black Friday Shopping Tips for 2022." And if you’re among those bundling up and heading out the door today, they offer some pretty useful advice. Looking for peace? Thankfully, as Paul points out in Philippians, here’s something for which we need not shop.

“It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without …” How would you finish that sentence? Turkey, gravy, stuffing? Before you answer that question, consider all of the possibilities.

November is often a dark month. Following the summer and those seemingly endless days of sunshine, we’re now at that time of the year when the sun is rising a bit later in the morning and setting a little earlier in the evening. Chances are good that wherever your live, there may be more than a few drizzly days. And even the headlines add to the darkness. So, it's welcome news to hear Paul tell us...

As the disciples were leaving the Temple, Luke tells us that they marveled at its beauty. So what Jesus told them next must have made their jaws drop. But what followed was an announcement of what was even bigger and better come.

Here in 2 Thessalonians, Paul encourages you and me to pray for the ongoing proclamation of the Gospel. And the language he uses to describe its spread actually comes from the Greek word meaning, “to run.” Inspired by the Holy Spirit, it’s a great phrase he uses to describe what takes place. 

How should you and I wait and get ready for the day of our Lord’s return? Well, it all depends on what we’re awaiting. The One who shall come on the clouds that day is no less that Christ our Savior.

What are the odds of your home being hit by a meteor? What are the odds that you'll win the grand prize in the lottery? What were the odds that you would become a redeemed child of God? Actually, much better than you might expect.

A study was conducted recently in which researchers sought to determine "the most beautiful baby names of 2022 based on how they sound to the human ear." When Moses asked God for His name, he was also concerned about how it would sound when He went to the tell the Israelites about God’s plan to “rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians.” The beauty of God's name is what it reveals to us about Hi...