Darkened Glass Reflections

Tag: Christmas

  • Christmas: The Love of God Revealed To and Through Us

    Christmas: The Love of God Revealed To and Through Us

    The entire life of Christ—from conception, to birth, His earthly life and ministry, to His death, resurrection, and ascension—revealed the love of God. It was an invitation to unite the life of God with the lives of mankind. May His love guide us as we celebrate His life, not just on Christmas but throughout the…

  • Spiritual Warfare XVIII: Concluding Thoughts

    Spiritual Warfare XVIII: Concluding Thoughts

    Spiritual warfare may not seem like it should be part of the Christmas message. However, Satan does not care about our calendar. He will attack whenever it is convenient for him. Life and hardship continue in spite of Christmas. In fact, we cannot remove Satan or the demonic from the Christmas story.

  • Shepherds, Wise Men, and Ordinary People

    Shepherds, Wise Men, and Ordinary People

    A nativity scene depicts the main figures in the account of Jesus’ birth together in one location at once. It works as an effective story-telling device. However, the story of Jesus’ birth has become so familiar to most Christians that many of us miss a few key points.

  • Examining Our Ways in Times of Suffering

    Examining Our Ways in Times of Suffering

    Pain and suffering are a central part of our earthly existence. Sometimes, it seems unfair, as if God Himself is unjust. We try to make sense of suffering, but it does not always work. The answers are rarely obvious or simple, but suffering gives us an opportunity to examine our lives and see if there…

  • Advent, Christmas, and Parallel Universes

    Advent, Christmas, and Parallel Universes

    Christians can often sympathize with the person who travels between parallel universes. We seem to do it all the time. This is most obvious during “the most wonderful time of the year.” Over the next month, we will be bombarded with “holiday savings” ads, Christmas songs on the radio (ranging from “Oh Holy Night” to…

  • Keeping Christ in Christmas—Colossians 3:17

    The so-called war against Christmas is really just a symptom of a greater cultural war against Christianity and traditional Christian values. Furthermore, the battlefield where this war must be decided is not in store circulars, but rather in the church and in the hearts of people.

  • Advent: A Season of Waiting and Preparation

    I would like to challenge the secular mindset about Christmas and “the holiday season” by urging my brothers and sisters in Christ to use the traditional church calendar as a guide. Instead of allowing mass-marketing to guide your life, allow the timeless truths of the Christian faith to shape your paths. By refusing to allow…

  • God With Us, and Us With God

    Jesus is “God-with-us.” My mission in 2016 is to be “Mike-with-God.”