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Listen to today's Laugh Again with Phil Callaway, "The Bank Job." Enjoy!

Jesus didn't just happen to be born at a convenient moment in history. When Paul writes that Christ came "in the fullness of time," he's revealing something profound: from the fall of Adam to the manger in Bethlehem, God was preparing the way. In this episode, Dr. John Neufeld walks through seven pivotal moments in redemptive history, showing how each was necessary for the Messiah's arrival. Christmas wasn't an accident. It was the culmination of God's perfectly timed plan.

Christmas From Galatians: This Christmas, Dr. John takes an unprecedented approach to the season by exploring why Jesus' coming was absolutely necessary. Through the book of Galatians, this series traces God's plan from Abraham's promise through the giving of the Law to the arrival of Christ. Discover why the Law was never meant to save us but to diagnose our condition, how Jesus fulfilled what we could never accomplish, and how Christmas opened the door for all people to become sons and daughters of God.

When crisis hits, even strong marriages can fracture. In this gripping episode of FamilyLife Today, pastor-therapist couple Jim and Angela Davis share with Dave and Ann Wilson the story of their marriage after a heart attack: how trauma tested their vows, faith, and identity, and how grace rewove the threads. Their journey through fear, recovery, and rediscovery offers hope for anyone asking, “Can love survive the unthinkable?” Honest and healing, find how faith turns pain into purpose and rebuilds connection that lasts.

Thanks for tuning into FamilyLife Today. If you heard us on your local radio station, don’t worry you have found that same programming here in a full length episode.

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Taking the gospel to work, plus Kyle Idleman on what it means to guard your mind, and should you bring your significant other home for Christmas?    

Featured musical artist: Hollyn

Roundtable: Sharing the Gospel With Coworkers

If you work in a secular industry or environment, is it possible to make your faith known? What are creative ways to bring the gospel into how you show up on the job? Our guests have experience living out their faith in creative ways in everything from the corporate world to customer service to a counseling practice. They’ll give you the courage and tools to speak up, love your coworkers, and be the hands and feet of Jesus in the office, classroom, factory and beyond.        

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Culture: Thoughts Got You Stuck?

How do you keep your mind settled and sorted when too many things compete for your attention? Pastor and popular author Kyle Idleman explains what it means to guard your mind, and how fighting toxic thoughts, calming the chaos and fighting for truth makes a difference when fielding offenses and Satan’s lies.    

 Every Thought Captive: Calm the Mental Chaos That Keeps You Stuck, Drains Your Hope, and Holds You Back   

Inbox: Bringing Your Date to Christmas

You want to bring your boyfriend or girlfriend to meet your family at Christmas. But what are the dos and don’ts for doing so? Counselor Erin Smalley weighs in.    

Link to Counseling Services 

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Washing up for dinner is something we all learn as children. But in spiritual terms, there’s a banquet you’re invited to, which requires more than just soap and water—it takes blood.

God controls every single world event but His sovereign influence extends into every aspect of your life, as well. Chuck Swindoll offers assurance that the all-powerful God knows and cares about the intimate concerns of your heart.

From the Series: The Greatest Words

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Our culture is fascinated with the supernatural, and a lot of what we see and hear points back to God! Lee Strobel conquers some pretty interesting topics when it comes to our faith…things like miracles, mystical dreams, angels, and even ghosts! You’ll hear some solid evidence of God’s presence in the supernatural, and through this conversation, you will be encouraged to grow closer to Him.

Every day the people who broadcast the news to us have to decide what's going to be big news and what's going to be little news. The big news they talk about first. And the little news may not get mentioned at all.

Unfortunately, there are often disasters that occur every day, and they may or may not be big news. Most disasters produce casualties, but casualties are sort of little news. That means people just got hurt. Then there are fatalities. And when there are fatalities, well, sadly, that makes it big news - somebody was killed. The fatality factor seems to propel news to page one. The story of Christmas has a casualty in it, a fatality and a champion.

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Christmas Knockout."

Now, I know you thought this was about Christmas and it is. But we're suddenly going to be in the Garden of Eden for a minute with our word for today from the Word of God which is in Genesis 3:15. The great tragedy; perhaps the greatest tragedy of history has just taken place as Adam and Eve have chosen to disobey God. Sin has entered a perfect world, and God is already talking about the solution.

He speaks to the serpent, who is the Devil, and says, "I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers. He (that's her offspring) will crush your head and you (that's the serpent) will strike his heel." Did you know that Christmas began in the Garden of Eden? The answer for sin began at the moment sin entered the world. Because God says here there will come a man ultimately descended from Adam and Eve - from the very people who perpetrated sin in the world - a man will come who will crush the serpent.

Notice the verbs here. It says the serpent, Satan, will strike the heel of the Messiah who will come. Satan's going to be able to hurt the Redeemer. That happened at the cross. But it was canceled three days later when Jesus Christ walked out of His grave. But notice what the Redeemer is going to do to the serpent - crush his head. That's the difference between a casualty and a fatality. When the Redeemer comes, Satan will receive a death blow He says.

You need to know that the Devil, for all of his interference in your life right now, is a dead man. Colossians 2:15 says "Christ disarmed the powers and the authorities, and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." If you're in Christ, if you belong to Jesus, the most the Devil can do is to wound you. You may be a casualty, but thank God you will never be a fatality. Satan tried over and over again to wipe out the Messianic line - the family from which Jesus would come. And then he tried to wipe out all the babies that were the age of baby Jesus. It didn't work. He's beaten!

Why would you ever let the Devil or his people beat you or intimidate you? God has entered human history in person. Everywhere Jesus went the forces of darkness surrendered. Everywhere Jesus goes now through your life, those forces of darkness still must surrender.

So, Christmas isn't just a warm and fuzzy little story about a baby in a stable and a star. In the battle for human lives, in the battle you're facing today, Christmas is God's knockout punch.

Read: Psalm 139:13-16; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44

Nate and Peter watched as Dad assembled a miniature model of the human body they had gotten for their homeschool biology class.

“I’m amazed at God’s creation,” Dad said, holding up the plastic heart piece. “Did you know that the human heart, which is only about as big as a clenched fist, can pump up to two thousand gallons of blood a day?”

“I heard that in our class videos,” said Peter. “We learned about eyes too. They’re set in holes, or sockets, and they’re protected by seven interlocking bones.”

“And our eyelashes and eyebrows keep out dust and sweat,” said Nate. “And each time we blink, a special fluid washes over our eyes.”

Dad grinned. “Right! And have you noticed that the palms of your hands are sort of skid-proof so you can get a grip on things? And think about your fingers and all they can do. You use them to write, paint, hammer a nail, play the piano—”

“Catch a football,” added Nate.

Dad nodded. “Just like the Bible says, we’re fearfully and wonderfully made. God created the human body to do amazing things. His great handiwork is nothing to laugh about, is it?”

“Laugh about?” asked Peter. “What do you mean?”

“Well, sometimes I hear people say things that aren’t respectful about the human body,” said Dad. “They make jokes about things God designed it to do, and sometimes they even mock others whose bodies look different from theirs.”

Peter nodded. “Sometimes my friends send me things that make fun of stuff like that—or even specific people.”

“That’s not how God wants us to treat the bodies—or people—He created,” said Dad. “He loves us so much He sent Jesus to die for us. When we trust in Him, He gives us new hearts—not a physical heart that pumps blood, but a desire to know and follow Him and share His love with others. And one day He’s going to give us new bodies too! Perfect bodies that will be free from sin, sickness, and death.”

“Wow,” said Nate. “That sounds amazing!”

Dad nodded. “It is amazing. That’s why we need to treat the bodies God gave us—and everyone else—with respect.”

–Agnes Livezey

How about you? Are you ever tempted to make fun of the amazing bodies God created? Maybe you’ve made inappropriate jokes about them or looked at pictures or videos that are disrespectful. Perhaps you’ve even mocked someone for the way their body looks. Ask Jesus to forgive you for the times you didn’t treat people He loves and their bodies with respect. Remember that our bodies are meant to remind us of His amazing love.

Today's Key Verse: I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Respect the bodies God created