By Brad Hutchcraft
I heard some whispers in church recently that made me smile. That Sunday, we sat down after singing, and a video played introducing a new teaching series. This particular video had some clips about the life of Jesus and the first disciples. As the images appeared on the screen, I heard the voices of two nearby children whisper, "It's Jesus!" Not just once, but they repeated it a few times in their whispers - hushed yet filled with wonder.
It's the Super Bowl of the Skies! No ticket required.
In a world of people addicted to screens, countless millions of us are stopping everything to see a spectacle in the skies. When a celestial switch is flipped and the lights go out.
The solar eclipse of 2024.
It started with an almost unthinkable radio transmission to an emergency number.
"The entire Key Bridge has fallen into the harbor."
Then the video - like something from a sci-fi movie. One minute the heavily traveled Outer Harbor bridge stood there majestically. The next minute it was gone, in pieces in the river. And then the deep sadness of knowing the workers on the bridge had gone with it.
When Jesus said from His cross, "It is finished," He used a word that literally means "paid in full." It's the transaction that changes your eternity.
I've handled my share of bills in my life. But the one from the orthodontist was the best bill I ever got.
There I was, digging out the sweaters again, turning up the thermostat, and hoping the weatherman was wrong about snow and ice.
Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush both called him one of the American Presidents that they revered the most - Theodore Roosevelt. He became a national hero, and soon President of the United States after his heroic leadership in Cuba during the Spanish-American War. The objective of his unit was to take this strategic Kettle Hill and then San Juan Hill. Ultimately, his troops would have to advance uphill in the face of withering enemy fire. And his soldiers would long remember the order he gave to launch what turned out to be an historic advance. Unlike many military leaders, Teddy Roosevelt did not say, "Charge!" Instead, he shouted, "Follow me!"
A lot of great sights to see in New Orleans. But it's hard to think of New Orleans for very long without remembering Hurricane Katrina and the devastating wind and waves that so wracked that city. Afterwards, one fact became clear: the single greatest cause of death in New Orleans' darkest days didn't come so much from the storm, but from the levees that couldn't hold back the waters of the storm. The walls around New Orleans just weren't strong enough to withstand a high-magnitude storm.
By Ron Hutchcraft
King George and his army must have had a really good laugh. George Washington and his Continental Army had been whipped in battle after battle in their campaign to become independent from Britain. British troops had driven the Americans out of New York City, across the Hudson River, across New Jersey, and finally into Pennsylvania. Then came the winter of 1777, at a place outside of Philadelphia called Valley Forge.
It was like a dream come true. It was right after Christmas. And I was in Manger Square in Bethlehem! Near the entrance to the Church of the Nativity, built over the cave believed to be the birthplace of the Son of God.
It felt like the whole town was a celebration. Festive lights lining the streets. Caroling choirs. A parade. And a dazzling Christmas tree on the square.
Not this Christmas. The birthplace of Christmas will be dark and deserted this Christmas.
How to Help Someone Do Christmas with Christ in Their Heart
The song says, "It's the most wonderful time of the year." It really is - for telling people about Jesus. God has divinely positioned you in the lives of some folks who don't belong to Jesus so they can have a chance to belong to Him. You are their chance, and Christmastime is the best time to tell them about the "Savior who is born to you" (Luke 2:8).
