For many of us, Christmas is the “most wonderful time of the year”. That’s not true for everyone. There are some of us that will experience significant pain this Christmas. So… how do you cope? What do you do? During this episode of The Next Steps, Kevin will talk through the problem of pain and the answer that the message of Christmas gives us! #christmas #pain #TheNextSteps

Tonight we’re putting on “The Ransom” for Christmas Eve at Friend Church in Irmo, SC. ABOUT THE RANSOM: For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 Christmas is the celebration of our Savior’s intersection with history.  Before Jesus showed up the world laid in ruin from sin, ransomed and separated from our loving Creator.  Jes

If you know me, you know I love Christmas.  I love the smells and experiences.  I love the times with friends and family.  I really, really look forward to cookies at Christmas, but I have to admit that I love Christmas movies, too.  The movies of the season set the stage for the Christmas. Here’s a list of my top-5 favorite Christmas movies: 5. “It’s Christmas, Charlie Brown!” There’s one scene in this movie that my family talks about every year: Charlie Brown gets frustra

What’s the best gift you ever received at Christmas? Bet you some money it’s not the most expensive one. Bet it’s not the largest. Small gifts matter. Never underestimate the small. Christmas is a story of God using small gifts as He writes His BIG story.  Most of us assume that God wants BIG gifts, but as I read through the scripture I see God taking small gifts and doing GREAT things through them. God uses small gifts; the smallness of the gift reflects how BIG God is. J

In June of 2006 one of the richest men in the world gave away His money.  Most of it. Forty billion dollars worth of it. Thats a lot of money. In the lineage of good deeds: this one has to place pretty high up the list. Take a step back and gander at it. The gift is HUGE. It’s an idea most of can’t even conceive of – to give away billions of dollars. We are attracted to the HUGE details in life, but I’m convinced God may very well be in the small details in profound ways th

As I’ve worked with people who are struggling to embrace this new life they’ve been given in Jesus one of the biggest obstacles they’ve faced is putting their past behind them. For some reason it’s hard for us to receive the large gift of Jesus when we realize that we are coming from such small places. The story of Christmas is a story of a big God using people who came from small places.  Small places aren’t where we always think of God coming from, but as you reencounter

It’s unfortunate that our world is captivated by the big. I’m pretty sure God isn’t. Christmas is a story of God doing big things through small people. I think there are lots of people who think God only uses big folks: those with big personalities, with big gifts, and big pocketbooks.  As I read scripture I see a different pattern emerging: that God uses small people who trust in a big God. God uses small people because their smallness demonstrates His power. Some of the f

When I was kid, I was told frequently that “When you use “Xmas”, it’s taking the Christ out of Christmas”. It always amazes me how ideas spread among Christians.  I am blown away with how easily ideas spread, how quickly people believe them, and how ready people and preachers are to share ideas & facts they’ve only heard.  Consequently, it has happened that so much of what we’ve bought into as the center of our personal, religious experience isn’t at the center of biblical C

#christmas #community

This Is My Sad Face My wife went out of town for a little bit today.  She’s getting home later tonight, and I kind of miss her.  Amanda is really my best friend.  She just brightens my days.  Other than being extremely funny, she just knows how to care for me. It’s pretty normal during this time of year to face a little bit of depression.  The days shorter, there is less light, and researchers tell us that the lack of sunlight can make us a little more depressive.  I’ve deal

Christmas music pretty much defines our celebrations, doesn’t it?  It’s not a Christmas party until our favorites are popping in the background.  Holiday memories seem to be defined by the sights and sounds of Christmas.  So, I thought I’d share some of my favorite Christmas albums. Here you go: Honorable Mention #1 – Sufjan Stevens “Songs for Christmas” Sufjan is a brilliant orchestrator.  This very album has some very classic Christmas songs as well as some classic Hymns.

I’m very thankful that God has blessed me with so many people who I can count as friends.  Around Christmas friendship takes on a new premium.  Let’s be honest: it’s just no fun to celebrate this holiday alone.  Life is always better when it’s shared.  God eternally has existed in community with himself (the three persons of the one God co-existing together … figure that one out), and in His image there is a part of us that longs to be together with others. One of my favorit

I was talking with a friend a couple weeks ago about Christmas. It’s pretty obvious that to most of us that so much about our Christmas celebration is cultural.  I mean, our kids learn about different cultural Christmas expressions at school: how the Dutch use shoes instead of stockings and all that nonsense.  People all over the world celebrate this holiday, and they do so with a variety of different cultural traditions. Christmas always wraps it’s expression in the clothes