From a very young age, I was exposed to evangelism in practice. My childhood church used to do outreach events during summers in highly trafficked places, like the beach or public parks. They’d rent the big town pop-up stage and stand out from early in the morning to after the sun had set cycling through worship teams, street preaching, and people sharing their testimonies. 

All the while, there were people walking through the crowds, asking people if they needed prayer or sharing Jesus with others. Occasionally, there were people who were led to believe in God, or wanted to be baptized.

I remember singing “Because He Lives” in church as a little girl. From time to time, my childhood pastor would burst out into song in the middle of his sermons. Whether the tune fit into the message and was planned or because it welled up in his soul in the heat of the moment, there were often times where he’d start singing a hymn or a gospel tune from his childhood. 

My daughter makes friends wherever she goes. At 2 years old, it’s not a hard thing to do. We go to the park, the library, the play place, church, a party– wherever– and she looks around and chooses someone to play with. This past weekend, she found a little girl to play with solely because she loved the dress the little girl was wearing. 

For her, that’s all it takes. She sees a kid who wants to have fun and that’s it. Instant friends, even if it’s just for that day.

I met Paul Baloche in 2019 with my husband, Sam, during a seminar for songwriters. Paul wrote a lot of worship songs that were sung when I was a kid, like “Open the Eyes of My Heart,” “Hosanna,” and “Above All.”

During his talk, Paul spoke at length about “Above All.” Most of his songs start either as prayers or from little thoughts written down in journals, and in this case, the verse was written out of the titular words jotted down in a notebook. The verses were a meditation on the greatness and wonder of Jesus; about how His Godship is so high and lofty over us and His majesty is awesome. The song originally had a different chorus and it was sung that way for a while but never felt right.

There are many things people try to prepare you for when you’re becoming a parent for the first time. There are big things and small things; from warnings about the looming sleepless nights and allowing yourself to get rest where you can to the savoring of every moment. Between bottles, diapering, feeding, sleep schedules, and keeping up with baby’s milestones, there’s a lot to learn and focus on– and that’s just the first stage of a child’s life!

A river runs through our town, and at this time of year, it’s partially frozen. The thing about a river is that for it to be totally frozen is rare. The temperature has to be way below freezing for an extended period of time in order to overcome the constant flow of water and freeze it solid. If you look at a river that is starting to freeze though, you’ll notice that the ice is primarily on the banks, where the current is the slowest. 

I’ve lived in some interesting places with some cool history. 

I’ve lived on Long Island, where the Revolutionary War was fought and lots of that history is still being preserved. I’ve lived on the coast of North Carolina, where Civil War and pirate history is kept, including the wreck site of the Queen Anne’s Revenge, which was infamously captained by Blackbeard. I’ve lived and studied in Cape Town, South Africa, which still remembers Apartheid and is a melting pot of many different cultures.

What makes something valuable? 

My mother would say it has something to do with what something is made of. When I was younger, I wanted a pair of boots. I was so set on the look and style of the boots, that I wasn’t paying attention to what it was made of. My mother, helping me shop for this pair of boots, was focused on what they were made out of. I might think I found the perfect pair because they were exactly what I wanted in my head, but my mom would say, “They’re synthetic leather. They’ll start falling apart after a few wears. You’re better off spending more money to get real leather boots that will take years to fall apart.”

Do you struggle with evangelism? I know I do. I get super nervous to tell other people about Truth, and I know it is something I need to work on. I know I’m not alone in that. In fact, I would be willing to bet that most Christians struggle with the task. That’s the reason that most churches struggle with things like outreach and missions: because it requires us to know our Word, be willing to go out into the world and be ready to articulate and defend it if necessary.

Have you ever been to a wedding? After the vows have been exchanged and the couple has kissed; after they steal down the aisle as husband and wife, there is a desire to have precious moments alone with this love. 

At a modern wedding, those moments are often far and few until after the reception, but at that wedding banquet, there is usually a sweetheart table– a special place of honor for the bride and groom where they sit together, allowing them to share private conversation and enjoy the party together. The sweetheart table allows the couple to have a little bubble in the middle of the banquet hall where they can be a part of the celebration, but also enjoy the new intimacy of their marriage.

Everyone knows this verse. It’s one that kids are taught as one of the first things in Sunday school. It’s on t-shirts and written on the bottom of shopping bags. Even people that don’t go to church or subscribe to Christianity know this verse. It’s a succinct and clear summary of the Gospel. It explains God the Father’s heart and His intention to save those who believe. It shows us what the true Church inherits for trusting in the Lord with all our hearts. It shows us the promises of belonging to the Lord and gives us the way to be recipients of them. 

But do we take this verse for granted? Are we desensitized to its meaning? Do we really consider each and every word of what it’s saying?

We’re all familiar with the fact that the word “love” has many different terms and applications in scripture. You have philia love, which is brotherly or platonic love. You have storge, which is familial love. You have eros, which is romantic love. And you have agape love, which is the love of God.

That’s because the Hebrew words for love had the ability to encompass different meanings and facets of love depending on where or how they’re used. But have we ever considered there are other words that are multifaceted in the same way?

Did you know the hymn “All Creatures of our God and King” is turning 800 years old? Okay, maybe not the hymn itself, but the poem the hymn was adapted from is.

The poem, written by Francis of Assisi in the final years of his life, was written in the year 1225. Francis had a long ministry of helping the poor, even going so far as to say he was married to “Lady Poverty” before he devoted his life to the Catholic church.

This year, we’ve been looking at the name of our Savior, the name of the baby we remember in the manger– the name of Jesus Christ. It’s a name that casts out fear and embodies peace. It’s a name that inspires the praise of all creation and every redeemed man. It’s a name that saved us from our sins and allowed us to enter into the presence of God the Father. It’s a name that only the Son of God could truly bear and carry out.

Jesus, God saves. Immanuel, God with us. Christ, the anointed One.

Jesus was not an uncommon name in Biblical times. It still isn’t, even though most will think of the same Jesus when they hear the name.

Back in Jesus Christ’s time, salvation was so longed for that the people named their children after it. Jesus meaning in simple terms, “God saves.” But when the angel came to Mary and Joseph, they both received the same name, and it was an indication of the work God was doing through this baby King.

Have you ever thought about what it would be like to meet baby Jesus? What would your reaction be? Would you ooh and aah over the smallness and the preciousness of Him? Would you weep as you held the incarnate Lord? Would you speechlessly observe and take weeks to process what you witnessed? Would you marvel at the sheer wonder and beauty of the moment, as you met the God of heaven and earth, finally come to be with His people?