We learn from our mistakes in the areas that matter least. We repeat our mistakes in the areas that matter most. Too often, we look at our pasts and our decisions don’t even make sense to us. We end up asking, “What was I thinking?” But how do we restart and avoid getting stuck in cycles of repeated mistakes that take our lives down the wrong paths?

One reason history repeats itself is that we don’t own our parts of our history. And the reason you don’t own it is there’s nothing to own—it wasn’t your fault! But to truly restart, you must look back and own your part in order to move ahead. Your best bet for a successful future is to own your share of the past.

Many of us don’t like to follow directions. But there’s a price to pay for rushing into a situation without knowing what we’re doing. We get things wrong, and by the time we work to undo everything we messed up to redo it correctly, we’ve wasted more time than if we’d just followed the directions to begin with.

There are a lot of things you need to do this year. There are lots of things you can and will do. But what’s one thing you must do? It’s different for everybody.

Even if surrounded by incredibly difficult circumstances (which we are), Christmas is a reminder that we can find hope in difficulty, and we have something to celebrate.

The offer of Christmas is even better than we imagine, and sometimes, we miss or forget what's really being offered.

Christmas is a reminder that God is active in our world, that he keep his promises, and neither your faithfulness nor your hope in God is in vain.

When was the last time you said something encouraging to a co-worker? Your spouse? Your family? When was the last time someone said something encouraging to you? Which comments are you most likely to remember?

Do you tend to be trusting or suspicious of people? Do you assume the best or worst about people? How do you respond when what people promise is different from what people deliver? How do you respond to those gaps? One of the Bible’s most famous verses states that “love always trusts.” Always??!! Really??!! What do I do with all my suspicions?