Author Archives: asimpleguy

In our service on Sunday, we lit the fourth advent candle, which represents Love. And when we stop and think about that first Christmas, we realize that LOVE is what Christmas is all about. It’s about the sacrificial love of Jesus.  At Christmas, it’s so easy to focus on the world’s idea of Jesus. ThisContinue reading “The Season of Love”

This week at church, we continued lighting the advent candles with the candle that represents Joy. In Luke 2:10, the Angels proclaim: “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” That word Joy is an interesting word. Often times we treat joy and happiness as if they were the same.Continue reading “A Season of Joy”

On Sunday, we continued our season of Advent: a time to celebrate the arrival of Jesus on this earth some two thousand years ago and the anticipation of Him coming back once and for all. To honor this time, we lit the second Advent candle which represents peace—the peace that Jesus ushered in when HeContinue reading “A Season of Peace”

This past Sunday, our church began the yearly tradition of lighting the Advent candles. If you aren’t familiar with the lighting of these candles, it takes place on the four Sundays leading up to Christmas and concludes on Christmas Eve.  The word “advent” actually means coming or arrival. So, we light the Advent candles inContinue reading “A Season of Hope”

There are a handful of scriptures in the Bible that talk about running the race or seeking to receive the prize. One of those verses is found in Hebrews 12:1-2 where it says: “…And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.”Continue reading “Running the Race”

In Matthew 5:1, it tells us: “Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.” Some of you may be familiar with this section of scripture and remember this is what is known as the Sermon on the Mount.Continue reading “Being Part of the Crowd Isn’t Enough”

As believers, we are called to be light in a dark world. It’s something I talk about often. But one of the things I’ve realized is that our light often shines the brightest in the midst of adversity. People aren’t drawn to someone who finds joy in the midst of prosperity. Because the truth is,Continue reading “Shining in Adversity”

I talk to a lot of people who deal with insecurities and self-doubt. And if we’re being honest, we probably all deal with this at times in our lives. We have this way of comparing ourselves to others and feeling like we just don’t measure up. Or we realize the realities of our sin andContinue reading “More Than Enough”

I’m realizing that, the more I watch the news, the more people I find to dislike. We live in a time where people can voice their opinions more freely than ever before. This can—and should—be a good thing. But, unfortunately, it also has many negative aspects. The news and media continually platform people with extremeContinue reading “Love Your Enemies”

As I was praying and seeking the Lord on what to share this week, the scripture that popped into my head was John 3:16. It happens to be the first scripture I ever memorized as a little 5-year-old.  “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believesContinue reading “For God So Loved”