Here are a few articles from around the Internet that are worth reading.
A Plea to Pastors: Don’t Cancel Church on Christmas
Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, so why should we attend church on Christmas?
It’s the day we celebrate the incarnation, the birth of the Messiah, the entrance into our world of the second Person of Trinity. Don’t we want to sing? Don’t we want to celebrate? Don’t we want to preach and praise and pray?
With all eternity hanging in the balance, we fight the fight of faith. Our chief enemy is the lie that says sin will make our future happier. Our chief weapon is the truth that says God will make our future happier. And faith is the victory that overcomes the lie, because faith is satisfied with God.
Since I pastor a church within a small town, it’s encouraging to remember that small towns matter in the kingdom of God.
How to Stop Despairing Over World Suffering and Start Addressing It
I believe we should act locally, specifically, and personally. We should start with the spheres closest to home, and then continue to reach out from there, as God gives time, money, and opportunity. Such giving combats some of the feelings of fatigue and guilt that come with knowledge of worldwide suffering. To stay stuck in that place of guilt is to remain in a selfish spot. But if we assume ourselves responsible for all the problems of the world, that also is a selfish response.
5 Christian Clichés That Need to Die
But one-liners aren’t always helpful. Sometimes, in our desire to simplify truth, we can trivialize and even obscure it. And to obscure the truth is to tell a lie.
B. C. Newton 