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Let’s Focus More on Jesus This Year
At our family gathering on Christmas Eve, some of us played a game one person had received as a gift. It involved trying to get others to guess a word or phrase, but you had to use only one-syllable words in the process. It isn’t as easy as it sounds. It takes effort to limit…
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God’s Gift Is for All and for You
When one part of our family gets together on Christmas Eve, we participate in one of those “white elephant” gift exchanges. You are probably familiar with that fun practice, as individuals either choose a wrapped package with its mystery contents or “steals” a gift someone else has already opened. Sometimes I end up with a…
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The Spirit of Herod Lives On
After watching one of the classic film versions of The Christmas Carol, I was reminded of the fact that many of our Christmas stories not only have their heroes but also their villains. Bedford Falls has its mean Mr. Potter. A Miracle on 34th Street has the unstable company psychologist who is determined to get…
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Look to Jesus for Stability
Recently my oldest grandson and his friend came over to our house to help assemble our makeshift stable for our outdoor nativity scene. My son-in-law had created this structure for us some years ago primarily using wooden pallets. As we put the shelter for baby Jesus together this time, it was noticeably shakier than in…
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God’s Mercy Gives You Another Chance
One recent Sunday morning I had just begun to preach when I spied a tiny black spider on the podium, one of those whose main defense mechanism involves hopping around in order to avoid its enemies. I quickly decided my best course of action was to pause my sermon, give a brief explanation to the…
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Tony Elder, Author/Pastor 