February 9, 2014: Matthew 5:14-16

February 2, 2014: Psalm 15

January 26, 2014: Psalm 27:1, 4-9

Sin is a serious matter that we must confront constantly and battle daily.

Do you handle your life with grace or greed?

How do you handle life? Do you take all your concerns to your heavenly Father in prayer?

We live in a sex-crazed culture. About 65 percent of America's teens have sex by the time they finish high school. According to the 2000 census, the number of unmarried couples living together has increased tenfold between 1960 and 2000, and 72 percent between 1990 and 2000. Fifty-two percent of American women have sex before turning 18, and 75 percent have sex before they get married.

Think with me about a best man at a wedding. The best man simply stands alongside the groom, making sure all attention is riveted on the groom. The best man has fulfilled his role most admirably when he draws no attention to himself but diverts all attention to the groom.

The identity of the Magi is a mystery. Unfortunately, most of the popular notions about the magi are misleading. It is doubtful they were similar to the camel-riding travelers we usually see portrayed in pictures and Christmas pageants. The popular Christmas carol, "We Three Kings of Orient Are," is wrong on several counts. There's no evidence there were three of them-only that they brought three kinds of gifts. Scripture does not say they were kings; in fact, they almost certainly were not. As far as them being from the Orient, we simply have no information regarding their origin other than they came from the east.

Transitional moments come with growing up: the changes from childhood to adolescence, adolescence to adulthood. At other times these transitions are artificial. The ages of 16, 40 and 65 have significant implications. Transitional moments can be forced on people-divorce, relocation, early retirement, job loss.