"Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." These may be the most personal and the most difficult words Jesus spoke while on the cross.

One little sin . . . one little lie . . .one little misdeed. Who could it possibly hurt?

"Character doesn't matter" became a catchphrase during a political campaign a few decades ago. We can debate the value of character in politics all we want, but does our character speak to how we value our faith? Does it say anything about who we belong to?

Once again, the children of Israel screwed up. But just admitting you screwed up doesn't save you. Salvation comes when you look to Jesus.

If there's one thing we love to complain about it's complainers. In 1 Corinthians 10 among all those bad examples in the Bible we find the warning not to "grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer."

The problem isn't just the grumbling, though. It's where the grumbling comes from and what it points us towards.

"Our God is a consuming fire." The question isn't, "Will we get burned?" The question is, "What of us will get burned?"

Say the name "Titanic" and the imagery is instantly that of catastrophe. Mention the Space Shuttle Challenger and the next word in your mind is "disaster." Say "golden calf" and you immediately recognize disobedience, idolatry and sin.

"Is this what God wants?"

We're ready to put a cap on 2014. It's been a year of joy and sorrow, of celebration and mourning. Most of all, though, it's been a year of devotion to God and he has blessed us in some amazing ways.

Laid in a manger, set on a donkey, nailed to a cross, laid in a tomb. All to purchase our peace