2 John, 3 John 2 John is a letter written by “the Elder,” (John?) to…gasp…a woman!  I found that fact intriguing; I’d never noticed it before. Christianity has done so much for women, even way back in Bible times when women were considered property.  At least some of the early Christians treated women as equals! These readings serve mainly as warnings to the Christians to beware of those around them who begin denying what they know about Christ…his life, his death, his resurrection, his ascension.  Apparently there were some in the church who started distorting the truth about Christ. That … Continue reading Stepping outside

1 John 1 The theme tonight is love…that we who are Christians ought to show love for each other, because God first loved us. 18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions. 19 Our actions will show that we belong to the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before God. 20 Even if we feel guilty, God is greater than our feelings, and he knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if we don’t feel guilty, we can come to God with bold confidence. 22 And we will receive from … Continue reading Showing Love

2 Peter, Jude Scoffers. Mockers. People who follow their own ungodly desires. These are the ones who will become bold in the last days, according to these books in the Bible. It sounds like today’s headlines to me! I am weary after being unable to sleep last night….but it has been a very merry Christmas! Happy Birthday Jesus…I boldly proclaim to today’s scoffers of Christians that I follow Jesus, a real historical figure who was both fully God and fully man, who was born of a virgin in the city of Bethleham. He chose to show us how to love … Continue reading Mockers, scoffers are prophesied

2 Timothy Wow. Paul really felt deserted and alone when he wrote this letter to Timothy. There he was in Rome, and none of the Christians stood with him when he went before the judge…yet God was with him! Tonight as we celebrate Christmas Eve with family, I treasure the words of advice Paul gives in the second chapter. I am blessed to be living in an age where travel is quick! No horse drawn buggy rides for me through the rain;instead, we had a nice drive. Unlike Paul, I am not deserted and alone. As I reflect on the … Continue reading Not alone

Hebrews 11-13 The Hall of Faith is the theme of chapter 11 of Hebrews, where we read all about the heroes of the faith through the ages.  Many did not live to see God’s promises fulfilled, but because those promises were recorded, we have the benefit of long vision — we can see where God honored his promises. I would like to have long vision for this weekend.  Travel has not been an easy thing for me — I am such a homebody!  Now that I use electrodes and a machine to treat my fibromyalgia, I feel a bit shy … Continue reading Hanging on to faith