It's the perfect time of year—full of children smiling, families gathered, and joy for all. But what if it's not? And what happens to the message of Christmas when it's not what we expected?

Every generation of Jesus followers is responsible to ensure the news of the Christian faith stays true to the original. So are you good news? What if you’re the only news someone gets?

The original message of Jesus was so compelling that everyone who heard it wanted it to be true. Maybe the version you’ve heard isn’t as captivating. If Jesus truly offered an invitation that left no one out, would you consider it really good news?

People close to Jesus were convinced they had met good personified. So they documented the story. They were convinced it wasn’t just for a nation or for a generation, but for all nations and every generation. This was good news, great joy, for all people—perhaps especially for those of us who aren’t all that good.

Many times we give money in response to a felt need or in response to a tragedy—it’s emotional and the results are measurable. But in addition to that, what would it look like to become someone who was not only an intervention giver, but a prevention giver?

We really believe the local church can change the world. But it’s not what we believe or how much faith we have that will make a difference. In fact, the answer to our most complex problems might be simpler than we think.

If we’re honest, many of us tend to serve just to please others or perhaps to prove something to ourselves or other people. But if we are to serve without insecurity or arrogance, we must first understand our identity and our purpose.

To the apostle John, following Jesus and being compassionate were practically synonymous. This is particularly true when it comes to our money and other resources. As Christians, we look for ways to do for others what in that moment they can't do for themselves.

It can be easy to see someone else self-destruct and think to ourselves, I would never do that. But truth be told, we’re all capable of ending up where we don’t want to be. Even Solomon's son—the heir to the throne of Israel—blatantly ignored a principle that we should all pay close attention to.

We can talk ourselves into anything. Our internal narratives justify our beliefs as well as our actions. But when those narratives are not true, they lead to destructive thoughts and behaviors. We can choose to carry around false but comfortable narratives—or we can look to destroy them.