Like most of Whoville, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. However, others seem to go into full Grinch mode during the holidays. But what if all of us have a little more Grinch in us than we realize? Using the story of Herod, this morning Trent will be giving us 3 Christmas Grinch questions that we can answer to make sure our hearts aren’t too small.

Just like Clark in Christmas vacation we are all waiting on Christmas. Christmas always feels like it takes forever to get here and then is gone in the blink of an eye. While we wait on Christmas, let’s examine some of the characters from the real Christmas story and see the transformations that were made in their lives while they waited.

Want your friends or co-workers to quote the Bible? All you have to do is say that you think someone’s choices or belief system is wrong and you will almost be guaranteed to hear the common phrase, “Do not judge others”. Even if someone doesn’t believe the Bible, they can still typically quote this one verse. If Jesus said, “Do not judge” then doesn’t that settle it or could this be another Urban Legend? This morning, we will be looking at what Jesus actually said when he said, “Do not judge”.

I wonder if this is God’s will for my life?. If God wants us to live for Him and in His will, then why does it almost seem elusive at times? What if the idea of God having a blueprint for your life is more of an Urban Legend than Biblically accurate. What if God’s Will is more like a game plan. This Sunday we are going to explore the important differences between the two viewpoints and the implications of each. While discovering what the scriptures actually say about God's Will and practical advice to avoid the most common missteps and misconceptions regarding God's will.

For most of faith is confidence. When we say, 'You gotta have faith," we mean "Think positively." But biblical faith has more to do with our actions than our feelings. "Faith is not a skill we master: It's not an impenetrable shield that protects us from life's hardships and trial. It's not a magic potion that removes every mess. However, the Bible does teach that we have to have it to please God. Faith doesn’t fix every problem...but it does fix our biggest problem, the only thing that really matters, our relationship with God.

Urban legends typically start with something that did have some truth to it, but it gets distorted and changed over time. Spiritually, there are also several things that do have some truth to them, but if we are not careful can also do more harm than good to our faith. The problem is that God doesn’t want us to pursue happiness...He want us to pursue Him.

Is there anything as creepy as an old record player that seems to continue to repeat the same song over and over? Our minds also tend to do the same thing with our fears. We continue to play them over and over, many times tormenting us or leaving us paralyzed in our fears. But what if someone labeled and identified all the fear tracks on the album in your mind. Would it be possible to live a fear free life? This weekend, Trent will be exposing “Fear’s Greatest Hits” and how to keep the record from repeating in your head.

We all have vampires in our lives. They're not the ones with pale skin and blood-thirsty fangs - but they do suck the life out of us. They live in your city, across the street and maybe even under your own roof. So how do you love the people who drain you? How do you handle your dysfunctional relationships? How do you make it work when all you want to do is run? This Sunday, we are going to learn how to hug a vampire.

In this day and age, it seems like there are enemies around every corner trying everyday to ruin our lives. It feels like we are always just one step away from being attacked. But, what if our biggest threat isn’t someone or something else out to get us. What if the most dangerous thing we face from day to day is ourselves? The biggest threat to the life God has created us for is the beast that lives within each of us, but we can learn from David how we can finally break free from beast.

As a kid, most people feared the dark and the thought of a monster hiding in the closet or under the bed. As adults, we find that is was all made up in our heads, yet we all still have fears or anxieties that seem real to us but are actually needless or not real at all. We all have certain fears that consume us. During these times we can often ask, “Jesus, don’t care if we drown?” This Sunday, we are going to take some simple steps to becoming brave.