Italy Family Travel Guide Part 3 – Rome
“A fool is one who admires other cities without visiting Rome.”-Francesco Petrarca, Italian Poet The Eternal City We arrived into…
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Advent – Christmas Eve
I don’t know where you find yourself today. I don’t know the state of your heart or the feelings you may be battling. I don’t know if you’re struggling with a loss or grappling with a death or swallowing the lump in your throat when you see the vacant seat. I don’t know if you’re on the street or in the cold or hopeless and heartless. I don’t know where you stand today, but I KNOW there is a manger beckoning you to come and stand before a baby. A baby who came to the cradle so he could go to the cross … for you, for me, for us all.
Advent – Day 13
Throughout history God has used the marginalized, the cast-aside, the weak and the oppressed to bring about ransom, rescue, reconciliation and redemption. And he’s going to do it again through Mary. But this time, he won’t just bring about ransom and redemption for the Israelites. He will usher in salvation to the ends of the earth for all who believe. This time, the Lord is going to use a lowly girl from the unlearned region of Galilee to bring about the Savior for all mankind. Come read along with us in Advent Day 13.
Advent – Day 12
Have you ever been the recipient of a gift or a promise so astounding you could scarcely believe it? Perhaps it was perfect provision when you were in desperate need, a miraculous healing, or a gift for which you had been longing. What was your response in that moment? Was it shock, doubt, wonder? When we receive an extravagant gift or the long-awaited answer to a desperate prayer, our reaction is often incredulous. We find ourselves wondering if it’s true.
Today in Advent Day 12, we’re talking about Zechariah’s response when Gabriel appeared to him with the news that Elizabeth would have a son. Come read along with us!
Advent – Day 11
Zechariah and Elizabeth waited for a child. The Israelites waited for Messiah. And you and I wait during this Advent season. We wait with the hope and expectancy of answered prayers and miraculous interventions, because we know God has done it before, and he can do it again. Advent Day 11 is live. Come read along with us!
Advent – Day 10
Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed for a child, but God was going to give them something so much more. God was going to give them a son who would be the forerunner to Messiah, the promised messenger who would confirm the arrival of God’s son. In their season of waiting and hoping, God was working out a plan for redemption that was beyond what they could fathom. Today for Advent Day 10 we’re studying Luke 1:5-7. I hope you’ll join us and hear how waiting on God is never wasted.
Advent – Day 9
Have you ever been plunged into total darkness? Perhaps a moment when the electricity went out or a light suddenly died? The few times we’ve lost electricity during the night, my children have screamed from fright. It’s always jarring to go from light to utter darkness. Sudden darkness is paralyzing. Sudden darkness is fearful. Sudden darkness is disorienting. Today we’re talking about darkness and the light that overcomes it all on Advent Day 9. I hope you’ll join us!
Advent – Day 8
For thousands of years, the Lord had revealed prophecies concerning his son throughout time. These prophecies spurred the Israelites on and kept hope alive. Then around 432 BC, the prophet Malachi pens his book. In Malachi 3:1, he writes a prophecy concerning the coming of Jesus. And then the prophecies went quiet. Four centuries of silence. Four centuries of waiting and hoping. Can you imagine the doubt? Can you imagine the long-suffering ache. Surely they wondered if perhaps the Lord had forgotten his promise? Come find out how this ancient prophecy pointed to Jesus and encourages us now in Advent Day 8.
Advent – Day 7
Jesus Christ fulfilled every Old Testament prophecy, beginning all the way back in the book of Genesis. He was and is and forevermore will be the promised savior, sent to save the souls of man. Today in Advent Day 7, we’re talking about all this and Isaiah 9:6. Come join us!
Advent – Day 6
Nearly 700 years before Gabriel would appear to Mary to reveal the news that she would conceive and bring forth the Son of God, the prophet Isaiah foretold of this miracle. Today we’re looking at Isaiah 7:14 in Advent Day 6. I hope you’ll join us!
Advent – Day 5
Little town of Bethlehem. We sing it in our carols, and we teach it to our children. It’s where the hopes and fears of all the years are met, where the morning stars proclaim the savior’s birth. And today we’re talking how Jesus’ arrival in that town impacts us all. Come join us for Advent Day 5!
Advent – Day 4
Jesus didn’t come to establish his own position of kingship. He came to save us from our position of depravity. And he didn’t come to save the Jews from the oppression of Rome; he came to save us all from the devastation of hell. Read more in day 4 of our Advent study!