Our Catholic friend greatly admired her priest. “He is such a kind and caring man,” she said. He is extremely busy but always has time to listen to you and he is a man of prayer.” Another friend recently expressed her disillusionment with her priest. Because of his moral failings she said that she had not been to church for several years. But let me tell you about my priest. He also is so kind and caring. He prays powerfully for me daily. The one thing that stands out about my priest in that he is totally holy and righteous and though he was tempted, he never sinned.

Americans live in a land of abundance and yet so much is wasted. I believe it was the writer of Poor Richard’s Almanac who quoted the Puritan proverb “waste not – want not”. God our creator values all things. In Jesus’ miracle of multiplication we see the heart of God. In John 6:1-15 a lad gave his meager lunch to Jesus. Jesus took those five loaves and two fishes and miraculously fed over 5,000 men plus women and children. Twelve baskets of food were left over. Jesus told his disciples to gather up the fragments “so that nothing is wasted” (John 6:12 NLT).

Valentine’s Day affords another opportunity to express our love to those we hold dear. There are many ways to show love and appreciation to your sweetheart. But the important thing is that love be expressed in a language that speaks to their heart. After all, God expressed His love for us in a language understood by all mankind. “But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 NKJV). That’s love in any language.

America is a very religious society. In Post Modern America, most people believe all religions are equally valid. They believe there are as many gods (pluralism) as man wishes to invent for himself, with no one god being superior. As long as you do not say there is only one way to eternal life or heaven, our post modern society will accept you. They consider god to be a development of one’s culture, a manufactured god; thus, one god is as good as another and we are told that we must not say there is only one God. They do not accept any objective standard for truth.

As we continue to focus on renewal, strive to turn your heart so that the Lord comes to have first place in everything. Paul presents this powerfully in Colossians 1:18, “He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” There it is: “first place in everything.” Jesus Christ is the preeminent Person in the universe: He is the Person who came to earth to suffer and die. He is One who has loved and given Himself for the body. He is the One who died to establish the church.

What do you think of angels? Some see angels as a myth, like the cherubic looking Cupid ready to strike the heart of the lovelorn with his arrow of love on Valentine’s Day. Mankind has had a fascination with angels since ancient biblical times. Books, movies, art, sport team names, and cities have been inspired by the existence of angels. The truth about angels their origin, purpose, work, and destiny can be found in the Bible where angels are referred to almost 300 times.

Israel’s sin and rebellion against God brought defeat and destruction to their land. Jerusalem was destroyed and hundreds of surviving Jews were carried off to Babylon as slaves. The prophet and priest Ezekiel was among those captives. Ezekiel was given visions of the glory and holiness of God. For 27 years he prophesied hope and restoration to Israel. Whatever trials and tribulation you may be facing today, God has hope and restoration for you.

Spiritual Renewal: a renovation, an enlivening; a rebirth, a stirring up, a waking up, rejuvenation, a revival. Revival means “to bring life,” from the Latin root, “re” which means again and “vivere” which means life. Continue to focus on renewal for your own spiritual life. Join a Bible class, be prepared to have your heart impacted by a sermon, stay in God’s word, and prayerfully consider changes that need to be made in your life. I believe every one of us has times in our lives when we need true deep spiritual renewal.

Bethany, IL is a small but lovely community with rolling hills. There’s a spacious hilltop cemetery just across the street from the church our son pastors. Every Memorial Day at the statute of a Civil War soldier the American Legion hosts a ceremony honoring veterans. My grandson Elijah was quite impressed with the whole ceremony. “I like the part where we salute the flag and the honor guard shoots at the soldier statute. But they haven’t hit it yet,” he said. I still chuckle when I see that Civil War soldier statute.

These days, we seem to be inundated by immorality, with rampant violence, sexually explicit material, and selfish lifestyles blatantly confronting us through our media (television to video games to internet). It is easy to complain about the lack of manners in young people, the rudeness of drivers, or some slipup we observe in a Christian person we respect. It is easy to let the ways of this world get us down, but, even though it might be more difficult, we can find greatness in small things that sometimes take a bit of observation.

Many senior citizens feel forsaken and forgotten by family and friends. Seniors struggle with poor health and age related issues. Our neighborhoods and nursing homes are full of seniors who face a sense of loneliness and abandonment. But the Psalmist gives us hope and comfort from God’s Word. “O Lord, you alone are my hope. I’ve trusted you from childhood. Yes, you have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb you have cared for me. No wonder I am always praising you!

Life is sometimes a struggle. In the last few months I have really had problems focusing on living a more spiritual life. It seems the more I try, the more difficult it becomes. I think the devil really works on me by feeding me the line that I am alone in this struggle and by appealing to my sense of independence and pride. I know in my heart that I can’t do it alone; I also know that if I can just get out of the way, the Lord will make a way.

Depression is not a paper tiger – it is real and can be deadly. I have battled bouts of depression through various seasons of my life. If you are facing depression, you are not alone. Great and godly men and women have battled and defeated depression by the grace of God. In the Bible we see Moses, Job, Naomi, Elijah, David, and Solomon along with a host of saints down through history who succumbed to depression. The good news is – you can defeat depression.

How are you welcoming Christmas this year? Some people would identify with the movie “The Grinch who Stole Christmas”, others perhaps with Ebenezer Scrooge of Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”. Storekeepers anticipate the money Christmas generates. Party givers look forward to the merriment of the season. Many enjoy the music. Children revel in the sense of mystery and magic. Believers rejoice in the miracle and mercy of Christmas. Magnitudes of art, music, literature, movies, and kind, noble deeds have been inspired by Christmas. Yet, secular humanists and many others do not always welcome Christmas.

Political ads and commercials ad nauseam will continue to bombard us until elections in November. I’m undecided as to whom I will vote for. I was impressed with the Christmas ads from Senator John McCain. In it we see a young John McCain beaten, bruised, and tied to a cot in a dingy, dark cell as a POW in Vietnam. Senator McCain recounts how a guard came into his cell, untied him, and helped him out into the sunlight. The guard then took a stick and drew a cross in the dirt. That powerful vignette is the gospel of the cross.