When we give each other Christmas gifts in His name, let us remember that He has given us the sun and the moon and the stars, and the earth with its forests and mountains and oceans; and all that lives and move upon them. Â He has given us all green things and everything that blossoms […]
2731) Wisdom for the Christmas Season Read More »
  Posted December 25, 2019 at http://www.opendoorsusa.org , in the Standing Strong Through the Storm daily devotional. ———————————– A depressed Chinese communist local party boss went to a church to hear the preaching of a very sincere and learned elder he knew. Here is his story in his own words:    It was the
2188) Christmas for an Atheist Chinese Communist Read More »
By Rev. John Piper, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, at: http://www.dgm.org    As I was about to begin this devotional, I received word that Marion Newstrum had just died. Marion and her husband Elmer have been part of Bethlehem longer than most of our members have been alive. She was 87. They had been
2179) Christmas, Life and Death Read More »
By Eric Metaxas, December 13, 2019, at: http://www.breakpoint.org ———————————–    One hundred and seventy-four years ago, a British writer was horrified at the conditions under which children were made to labor in tin mines. He decided to write a pamphlet exposing these conditions. His intended title: “An Appeal to the People of England on
2178) The Power of a Story Read More »
Above painting: The Adoration of the Shepherds, 1622, Gerrit van Honthorst (1590-1656) ************************ Before his conversion to Christianity, Lee Strobel had been a journalist for fourteen years.  He was also an atheist.  Here is the story of how Strobel got started on his spiritual journey to faith in Jesus.  This article (second of two parts) is adapted
2143) The Greatest Gift of All (part two of two) Read More »
Before his conversion to Christianity, Lee Strobel (1952- ) had been a journalist for fourteen years. Â He was also an atheist. Â Here is the story of how Strobel got started on his spiritual journey to faith in Jesus. Â This article (in two parts) is adapted from his book The Case for Christmas. Â Strobel has written
2142) The Greatest Gift of All (part one of two) Read More »
Rick Warren has been called ‘America’s Pastor.’ He is the founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, the eighth largest church in the United States. His book The Purpose-Driven Life is one of the top Christian best-sellers of all time. His Daily Hope devotional and other resources are available at his
1722) The Best Christmas Gift Ever– Eternal Life Read More »
Above: Chinese village —————————— From the Open Doors Daily Devotional, December 24, 2017, at: http://www.opendoorsusa.org ————————–    Chinese evangelist, Brother Xi, was travelling one very cold Christmas Eve in the rugged province of Gansu. As he came to the next village he sensed something was wrong. He introduced himself as a bearer of good
1721) “Who Was That God?” Read More »
Above painting: “Silent Night” 1891, Viggo Johansen (Denmark, 1851-1935) ————————–     (…continued) Whether or not an evergreen tree ever grew on the spot where Boniface cut down the sacred Oak of Thor, the connection of the Christmas tree to that legend is a reminder that the birth of Jesus in that lonely stable led to
1718) Christmas Traditions (part three of three) Read More »
    (…continued) One of the most universal of Christmas traditions is the Christmas tree. Putting up a Christmas tree in a public area is much safer than putting up a nativity scene; but even the tree has in many places become controversial.  To make sure no one is offended, many have taken to calling them
1717) Christmas Traditions (part two of three) Read More »
