Holidays
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What to Give Jesus for Christmas
The average holiday household budget for Christmas 2022 is projected to be $823. Each year, many Americans celebrate Christmas with an outpouring of gift-giving. Christians are no exception. During the Christmas season of 30 years ago, we estimated that many Christian families would spend $500 or more on gifts for family and friends. And there’s …
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Celebrate America and Its Veterans
The celebration of Veteran’s Day holds a special meaning to many. Personally, I served in the United States Army in the Republic of Vietnam. My family has served in every branch of the military. As a Vietnam veteran, I was confused about the words “Celebration and Veteran’s Day”. As we all know, Vietnam vets were …
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What Do Pastors Think About Halloween? Study Reveals Surprising Results
Read Time: 3 Minutes 24 Seconds It’s a question that believers grapple with every year at this time. Should Christians avoid Halloween? Some believers simply don’t feel that it carries any spiritual implications, while others see it as a dangerous event to celebrate, especially for Christians. But what do pastors think about Halloween and how …
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Don’t Make ‘Parties’ as an Excuse for Over-Indulging
I love a party or any get together where there is food. How about you? However, it is a big excuse many use for not losing weight. I had this excuse. It went something like this, “I can’t lose weight because I want to eat at family gatherings, parties, church carry-in dinners and holidays. Here’s …
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Dr. Jack Graham: The Fierce Faith of a Mother
On the eve of this day set apart to honor the mothers and mother figures in our lives, my mind turns to a woman of fierce faith we read about in the apostle Matthew’s Gospel. We do not know her name, but her words and actions were so incredible, so audacious, that they were written …
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Copelands Celebrate 60th Anniversary
Kenneth and Gloria Copeland, co-founders of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary recently. The year 2022 also marks 55 years since Kenneth responded to God’s call to ministry received in an Arkansas riverbed, leading to the formation of KCM. “When Ken and I married, we began a journey that led us both to …
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Don’t Skip This Important Part of Our Holiday Traditions
This is a season when a spirit of generosity ignites us and highlights the best of humanity. For those of us in the Jewish community, we have celebrated Hanukkah, lighting the Menorah and giving gifts. Now, my Christian friends are celebrating Christmas by lighting trees and giving gifts of their own. This season of generosity …
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A Christmas Reflection from the Highway
As I was driving on Highway 99 South in my home state of California one morning, the Holy Spirit reminded me of the prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament, long before He was born. Of course we know of Jesus’ birth from the New Testament gospels. But centuries before Matthew and Luke wrote about …
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3 Promises of Peace to Calm Your Pre-Christmas Anxiety
Bethlehem was all hustle and bustle as people from all over returned to pay their taxes. Street vendors saw the opportunity and likely set up early. Inn managers were a mix of excited and stressed as their rooms filled to capacity. Tax collectors saw dollar signs as people entered the streets of the ancient city …
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Weathering the Storm
If we are honest, it has been a painfully challenging year. For some of us, our lives will be forever changed because of losses we have experienced. Medi-Share’s spiritual development team shares personal stories and practical tips on dealing with stress, grief and trials. 1. How is the world handling emotional challenges? We’re reacting to …
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Christmas Lights, Hanukkah Lights and Jesus
John 8:12 (NIV): “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'” The birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated by Christians around the world on December 25. Modern believers often decorate their homes, …
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A Most Special Gift to Receive, Treasure and Give
Have you ever looked at the people involved in what we call the first Christmas and wondered what they thought at that moment in time? (References in Matthew 1 and 2, Luke 2) Think of these people: Mary—she had an angel, Gabriel, greet her and call her favored. Gabriel announced that God had chosen her …
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Finding Hope Amid Grief this Holiday Season with Nancy Hicks
For many of us, the holiday season will be especially hard, as we have experienced so much loss and grief. Nancy Hicks gives bruised hearts the precious gift of empathy and hope. This is the first holiday season for Nancy Hicks, former QVC spokesperson, author, speaker, without her oldest son, David, who passed away in …
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Hanukkah and The Motel 6
People all over the world are lighting menorahs as they celebrate Hanukkah, also known as the Feast of Dedication or the Festival of Lights. Hanukkah is the celebration of the recovery of Jerusalem and the rededication of the Second Temple during the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the second century BCE. The story …
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Three Reminders for Cultivating Gratitude
It’s easy during the holidays to lose perspective and forget how much God has blessed us. Luke 17 tells the story of 10 men who had much for which to give thanks. As lepers, they were complete outcasts. You couldn’t get any lower in society at this particular time in history because leprosy was an …
