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Preparing for Christmas – Faith Struggles
But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. – Luke 2:19 Sometimes we forget how much of a struggle Christmas was for the first people who experienced it. I think of the struggle of Mary and Joseph as they made their way to Bethlehem. I think of the struggles of everyone who…
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God Prepares, Shouldn’t We?
When we think of Christmas preparations we usually think of trees and lights and tinsel and stuff. However, someone else prepared for the coming of Jesus. No, I am not talking about Mary or Joseph. I am talking about God. And I am not talking about the immediate preparation of angels or stars or wisemen.…
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The Power of Thankfulness
There are things which are deceptively powerful. Those tiny air fresheners for cars are not for everyone. For most of my family, they are just too powerful for us to enjoy the scent. Yet, you can’t deny their effect! In the Christian life we have such a deceptively powerful ally to our walk of faith.…
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Thanksgiving
This week we celebrate Thanksgiving. Yet, I wonder how often we really have given thanks. I mean, it is one thing to utter the simple, “Thank you.” It is quite another to truly give thanks. Do we even understand how powerful thanksgiving is? God has said in His Word that refusing to give thanks is…
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Seeing Life Through Thankfulness
At this time of year we hear people say words of gratitude. We have thanksgiving services. We gather together for the thanksgiving meal. Yet, being truly thankful can be a struggle. There are many obstacles to thankfulness. It’s interesting to me that in the Bible it is the struggling who seem to have a good…
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Gratitude… Moving from Self to God
When was the last time you thought of how important gratitude is to following Jesus? Although I have many thoughts on the subject, I am not the first or the most eloquent thinker about gratitude. The following is a quote from Pastor John Piper. He has spoken and written extensively about gratitude and how it…
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Surviving Disappointment (Part 3, the one about bitterness)
Consider the alternative… When we feel disappointment sometimes we give ourselves permission to be angry for a while. That’s actually okay. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging how someone has hurt us. In fact, it is healthy to be honest about our feelings. However, there are enough scriptures that warn us about holding onto our…
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Surviving Disappointment (part 2… The One About Thriving)
Remember what we learned a week ago: God knows disappointment. He asked Hosea the prophet to be a living example of His disappointment. We too, know disappointment. Now, what will we do about it? That’s the question, isn’t it? This is where faith intersects life in our disappointments. Faith does not always protect us from…
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Surviving Disappointment (part 1)
We have all experienced it. Maybe it was when you were little and Grandpa promised you an ice cream cone, and then you were disappointed when no ice cream cone came. Maybe it was in middle school when you experienced your first crush, and your beloved didn’t return your affection. It may have even happened…
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Grace & Forgiveness – Wow!
Words have power. They do not have the power of magic, but the meanings of words can change our lives. We see this any time we talk to someone and they say something that makes us happy or sad. We can do it for someone else as we give a word of encouragement or criticism.…
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Pastor John D Jakes 