Nov
27
Whoever came up with that advertising tagline was clever. Who wouldn’t want to give a gift that would “keep on giving” all year long? Far better than this tagline, however, is the reality of having a gift that keeps on giving—especially when that gift goes on forever…and ever. Friday of this past week was my …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2011/11/27/the-gift-that-keeps-on-giving/
Nov
25
It is significant to note that not one of the thirty-four verses in Scripture that include the phrase “give thanks” was penned after Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday. They weren’t even penned after the Pilgrims began the Thanksgiving tradition. This would almost lead me to believe that God’s command to “give thanks” is not …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2011/11/25/thanks-living/
Nov
23
Think of the sounds that may emerge from an accordion when a non-musically-inclined beginner is working at it. Now, listen to it wail out the song “Count Your Blessings”—gasping in an off tempo that is struggling to keep in sync with people singing along. You have just listened to my one-evening debut with the accordion. …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2011/11/23/when-the-thought-counts/
Nov
18
Ordinarily, I don’t believe in celebrating Christmas before Thanksgiving, but I changed my mind this week when the shipment of Striving Together’s new minibook by Dr. Paul Chappell came in. I had the privilege of helping with this book prepress, and seeing it arrive felt like an early Christmas! Christmas Is a Gift—Unwrap the Significance …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2011/11/18/christmas-is-a-gift/
Nov
15
You can’t get much plainer than Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.” But do we? Do we just punctuate our conversations with “praise the Lord”? Or do we really praise Him? In Christ, we find unlimited reasons to rejoice. Should we look to find joy in our circumstances, we …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2011/11/15/real-reasons-to-rejoice/
Nov
13
Did you ever notice that the most commonly correct answer in Sunday school is “Pray and read your Bible”? I first picked up on this in second grade. “How can we obey God?” the teacher would ask. Hands would shoot up. But as soon as the first person answered, “Pray and read your Bible,” the …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2011/11/13/creative-christianity/
Nov
11
Victory—I love that word. And I love success, accomplishment, and achievement. The only problem with experiencing these words—at least in a truly heroic endeavor—is that it takes so long to attain. We want success today. We want achievement now. We want victory without sacrifice and accomplishment without effort. All of us would thrill to return …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2011/11/11/what-we-learn-from-veterans/
Nov
04
“So, how will you use that today?” That’s it—the pesky question. And a dear, godly lady asked it to me twice this week. All I was doing was telling her about some advice I had been given and something I was learning. It was sort of a big, vague, wonderful, and sure-to-be-helpful-in-the-future truth. And then …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2011/11/04/a-pesky-question-that-works/
Nov
01
Have you ever noticed that people only say “It’s just a game” when they’re not winning? As for me, I love winning! Even when I’m playing tic-tac-toe with little kids, I play to win! And I’m not much for the kind of games where nobody/everybody wins because they all tried. (I might have a slight …
Permanent link to this article: http://steppinginthelight.com/2011/11/01/the-thanksgiving-game/
