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  “The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him.” Luke 2:33 Stories surrounding the birth narratives remind us that salvation comes in strange, unexpected places – a baby born in a stable, visits from foreigners, an encounter in the Temple with a 114 year-old man. All of these tell us that God works salvation in unexpected ways. God reveals himself to us in moments and situations we least expect. And often, we find it difficult to understand. This week, slow down, and keep your eyes open for all the ways God is at work in your life, your family, community and world. Read together the story of Jesus’ birth in Luke 2:1-40. Consider this birth story and the responses of those in it. Notice all the ways God was at work. Pay attention [...]

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“Lord, now I can die in peace!               As you promised me, I have seen the savior you have given to all people. He is the light to reveal God to the nations,             and he is the glory of your people,  Israel.”  - Simeon (Luke 2:29-32) It’s so easy for something to capture our sense of wonder, especially during the Christmas season. For some of us, there is that one thing we would love to unwrap. Whether it’s the latest cell phone, wide screen TV or money for a shopping spree, there is one thing that makes our heart skip a beat with anticipation wondering if this Christmas it will happen. Simeon lived his whole life with that type of anticipation. He waited expectantly for the Messiah. His life was consumed by one thing, [...]

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I have a history of driving cars that most of the teens affectionately refer to as ghettomobiles. My latest is The Granny Car – a 1997 Buick LeSabre complete with the mauve interior. It squeals, the driver’s seat falls back if I push too hard against it, and the gas gauge doesn’t work. I discovered the gas gauge was broken one morning before school when I ran out of gas and Deana had to break away from a school function she was volunteering at to go home, pick of the gas can, fill it up and bring it to me. Now, I have to reset the mileage every time I fill up and pay close attention to the miles I drive every day. Once I accidentally reset the mileage and forgot I did. I ran [...]

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If you’ve ever worked a jig saw puzzle you understand the goal is to put the pieces of the puzzle together in such away that you create an image that looks like the one on the box. If you don’t have the image on the box it’s difficult to put together the puzzle. There is only wone possible outcome. If you are putting together a puzzle of the Golden Gate Bridge you will not end up with a picture of the Statue of Liberty. It just doesn’t work that way. I think, many of us, teens in particular, have the same view of our lives. We have this picture on a puzzle box of we think our lives should turn out. We dream of the type of home we’ll live in, the car we’ll drive, the job [...]

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Just one more…  slice of pizza… one more minute… one more chore to do… one more exam…  one more video game. That short phrase can be filled with hope, despair, or reflect an already overfilled, full schedule. I don’t know about you, but “just one more…” often stresses me out. I’m not sure I want just one more… Well, when it comes to pizza maybe I do. I invite you to consider something as you begin this new week. Would Jesus be on that list of “just one more…” Is following Jesus just one more thing to do, one more rule to follow, one more event to attend. messy. What do you do with him? Because as wonderful as He is, He steps into our lives and makes things messy. He leads us down paths [...]

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