Words have power, don’t they? I bet if I asked, you could tell me something kind someone said to you when you were a child. You can probably also repeat something unkind. Words stick with us. Amazing how much impact they have—to inspire, to encourage, to comfort, to praise, to…

Happy New Year! Are you a resolution maker? I’m not really, although I do reflect on the past year and try to recognize areas in which I could improve. Would you laugh if I said I need to improve my face? No, not with plastic surgery. You see, my face…

“Stand Up, Stand Up For Jesus” by George C. Webb is a marching song! It’s also a challenge for each of us to be bold in our faith. Stand up, stand up for Jesus, Ye soldiers of the cross; Lift high his royal banner, It must not suffer loss. From…

I read an article about a person who handed some Chick-fil-A money-takers $400 and instructed them to keep paying for people’s food until the money ran out. The manager of the store said this was a blessing to many, many people who came through the drive-through line, but it was…

James is a fairly short book, but it has so much wisdom. I know we’ve seen other scripture that support the “don’t just talk the talk, walk the walk” idea. This one fits well with that concept. But this also gives us a positive consequence for putting our faith into…

The words for “Joy to the World! The Lord is Come” were written by Isaac Watts and later arranged by Lowell Mason to music by Handel. Although this was originally meant to commemorate Jesus’ second return, it’s become a beloved Christmas song. 1 Joy to the world! The Lord is…

Merry CHRISTmas! “O Come, All Ye Faithful” is a Latin hymn with credit ascribed to several authors, but we know it was put to music by John Francis Wade. “Word of the Father in flesh appearing…” Oh, what a gift! 1 O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O…

“The First Nowell” is a traditional English carol. I love the announcement, Born is the King of Israel! (For simplicity’s sake, I’ve changed “nowell” to “noel.”) 1 The first Noel the angel did say was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay; in fields where they lay keeping…

“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” is no doubt very familiar to most of us. Charles Wesley penned the lyrics (which were tweaked by George Whitefield), and they were put to music by Felix Mendelssohn. I love hearing this one played by a full orchestra–so powerful! But probably not as powerful…

This time of year, I love singing the old carols. To celebrate the Reason for the Season, how about a week of CHRISTmas carols? Staring with “O Little Town of Bethlehem” by Phillips Brooks, music by Lewis H. Redner. This sweet carol seems to be a standard for children’s choirs.…