Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men (Luke 2:14). Look at the nativity, and you see a worship service.  Angels hover over it like drones.  Common, smelly, shepherds and sophisticated wise men bow down.  Worship flows form everyone toward the Child.   It is difficult to imagine any greater contrast than what we see at the nativity.  They were different socially.  She...  Read More

And she gave birth to her firstborn son … and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn (Luke 2:7). If you are like me, you type hundreds of words each day. Let me ask you a question.  Are the keys you type black, gray or white?  The truth is, most people cannot give a definitive answer without looking at the keys, even though they look at them several times every single ...  Read More

Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah (Matthew 1:16). Note carefully what today’s verse says and does not say.  It does not say Joseph begot Jesus.  Here the repetition of the "begots" ends.  The "whom" in Greek is feminine singular, referring only to Mary and not to Joseph.  Can you see God the Father right there in the family tree o...  Read More

Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth … (Matthew 1:5). If time permitted, we could stop at each of the dozens of names in Christ's genealogy and speak of the grace behind their lives. But there are four obvious testimonies of grace that should catch our eyes. They are all women, and in that ancient world it was unheard of to see women listed in genealogy table...  Read More

Abraham was the father of Isaac … David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah (Matthew 1:2, 6). Talk about heartbreak, sorrow, misery, and grief – all those things are woven through the fabric of our Lord’s family tree.  Can you feel the grief behind these words?  The grief of Abraham leaving all he had known to go to a land where he had never been.  The grief of le...  Read More

The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah … Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah (Matthew 1, 16).There is no one like you.  You are unique.  No one has a fingerprint like yours, a DNA that exactly matches yours.  Roots are important, and not just to plants.  Your DNA shows what tendencies you may have regarding disease, intell...  Read More

For centuries Christians all over the world have celebrate the Advent season leading up to Christmas.  Advent means arrival, appearing, coming and anticipates the coming of Christ to a stable in Bethlehem.  In the midst of all the business this season, the celebrations, the shopping, the lights, the decorations, the parties, and all the other tinsel, trappings and trimmings; Advent offers a time o...  Read More

Luke 19:1-10 He entered Jericho and was passing through.  And there was a man called by the name of Zaccheus; he was a chief tax collector and he was rich.  Zaccheus was trying to see who Jesus was, and was unable because of the crowd, for he was small in stature.  So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree in order to see Him, for He was about to pass through that way.  When Jesus cam...  Read More

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead (Philippians 3:13).The world will tell you that the dominating influence in your life is your past. If you came from a difficult home life, that will determine the direction of your life. If your culture was treated unfairly, that wi...  Read More

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, And with my song I shall thank Him." Psalms 28:7We have so much to be grateful for in this life, every single day. But reality is that sometimes constant life demands, battles, and worries give more room to defeat than to a heart of thanks. Or we forget, in the midst of busyness and pressure...  Read More

Many of our hearts have been touch by the civil unrest across the county this year.  The Church can never condone violence.  Yet, we are to be champions for racial and social justice.  Lives matter to God. Black lives matter to God.  (I need to pause and explain that the organization known as Black Lives Matters does not represent the core of Christian principles.  You can visit their website for ...  Read More

Psalm 95:1-11O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.For the LORD is a great God And a great King above all gods,In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also.The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands for...  Read More