The date was December 27, 2000. For those of you who aren’t so gifted in mathematics, that makes that 20 years ago today. Here’s what happened. Hockey legend Mario Lemieux scored a goal and had two assists, leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to a 5-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not a big deal, except…
Did you have a great Christmas yesterday? If so, beware of relapse today. Did you have a lousy Christmas yesterday? If so, beware of relapse today. There are two times when you are in heightened danger of relapse – when things are going well and when things are going poorly. We see it all the…
December 25, 1914 was a very special Christmas. For one day, World War I hostilities ceased. At dawn that day, soldiers emerged from their trenches and crossed “no man’s land” to exchange gifts and goodwill with their enemies. German and British troops joined together to sing carols, break bread, and pose for photos. Several soldiers…
‘Twas the night before Jesus came; all through the house Not a creature was praying, not one in the house. Their Bibles were lain on the shelf without care In hopes that Jesus would not come there. The children were dressing to crawl into bed, Not once ever kneeling or bowing a head. And Mom…
Christmas is the season when you buy this year’s gifts with next year’s money. That’s also how we live in addiction. The pleasure of the moment is robbing us of the blessings of tomorrow. The mistakes I make today will affect my life tomorrow, in so many ways: My marriage My checkbook My shame My…
Dave Barry said, “Once again, we come to the holiday season, a deeply religious time that each of us observes, in his own way, by going to the mall of his choice.” So how do we survive the holidays? 1. Be prepared. I know, I should have written this earlier than three days before Christmas.…
In late December, we celebrate the biggest holiday of the year. Today’s the day – National Flashlight Day. Because December 21 is the day of winter solstice, making this the day with the least sunshine, this date has been forever immortalized. It is for today that David Misell was born. On January 10, 1899, the…
The message of this Christmas Season is one of hope. James Cameron was the only survivor of a 1930 lynch mob, and he would go on to found America’s Black Holocaust Museum. How did he survive the mob – physically and emotionally? In his autobiography, A Time of Terror, he wrote, “With faith and prayer…
The Bible tells us to deal rather harshly with our sexual sins. “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). We are to “put to death” all sexual immorality. What does that look like? How do we do that, exactly? I…
Do you know someone who has an addiction? Let me help you with that one. The answer is “YES!” That’s like asking you if you know someone who has a nose. The real question is this: What are you doing to help your friend with the addiction? Let’s start with the words of Scripture. “A…