Lennon and McCartney. Lucy and Ethel. Buzz and Woody. What makes great partnerships are the differences between the parties. Marriage is no different- how can we understand and appreciate the differences between the people we love most?

Many places in the Gospels Jesus refers to a lamp and light, and this metaphor runs throughout his teaching. Jesus is known as the light of the world and in him there is no darkness. How is it that we can actually shine the light of Christ into the darkness of own hearts? How is it that we are to deal with the darkness that is in our lives?

Over and over in the scriptures God challenges what people had accepted as fact: an old woman conceiving a child, outsiders being welcomed into the faith. God is a God of possibilities! How often do we let assumptions shape what we dismiss as impossible? Few things are as absolute as we may think.

It doesn't take long for babies to say their first words- of which "mine" is sure to come quickly. So often we seem hard wired to put ourselves first. In the New Testament we see that this mindset isn't the same as "the mind of Christ." How can we go from thinking of ourselves first to looking to the interests of others?

Often it is easier to tear down than to build up. Pointing out problems doesn't take much imagination, offering solutions does. God chose to work most powerfully through a person that went from hunting Christians to starting churches. Being a critic is easy, becoming a champion bears more fruit.

As we move into 2019, how do we transition from who we were in 2018 to who we want to be this time next year? What things have we done this year that we will not do, and what things have we left undone in 2018 that we want to do in 2019?

In "A Charlie Brown Christmas," Charlie struggles with enjoying the build up to Christmas as much as his friends do. At his most exasperated point he exclaims, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?" If we're honest, there are times when we lost perspective about the season of Christmas too. How can we reclaim the true meaning of Christmas?

George Bailey is a adventurous spirit who gets stuck in his hometown trying to help others down on their luck at the expense of his dreams. When circumstances go south, he wishes he was never born, and his wish is granted. When George gets to experience life without the impact his life has had on it, he comes to appreciate the value his life has had on others. Only when we step back to see the bigger picture can we see the activity of God in our lives and the lives of others.

Buddy the Elf is thrilled beyond belief to find out he has a human dad in New York City. As he tries to reconnect with him, he finds that a relationship can be difficult to navigate. Many of us can relate. How are we supposed to treat those we've been conditioned to dislike, or even hate?

Clark Griswold dreamed of a fun, old fashioned, family Christmas only to have his dreams shattered by uninvited relatives, a stingy boss, and Christmas lights that didn't work. To a certain extent we all have an idea of how Christmas is supposed to go, don’t we? Have you ever wondered where this “idea” of how things are supposed to go came from? And then how do we handle it when things don’t go as we think they “should”?