The hap-happiest season of all can also be the hardest. But then, that’s what Christmas is all about. The whole reason Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem was to help us in our suffering. The Son of God took on flesh to be our Saviour of Christmas Past, Saviour of Christmas Present, and Saviour of Christmas Yet to Come. Christmas isn’t just for the kids. It’s also for the crushed.

Scriptures Referenced:
Heb 2:5-18; Gen 3:15

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God sometimes leads his children into deep waters, but he walks through those waters with us. And from their experience in those deep waters, some of God’s children have used of the Lord to give us precious spiritual truth written in beautiful poetic form. In our second installment on hymn writers and their hymns, we consider the life behind one famous and one not-so-famous Christian hymn.

Scriptures Referenced:
Isa 43:1-3; Mat 7:13-14; 2Cor 12:8-9; Heb 4:15-16

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Steve Buckeridge is a Bible teacher and preacher in the UK, as well as an airport chaplain at London Heathrow. Steve joins us to talk about his new book, Above and Beyond, and to encourage us to use our hobbies and interests for the Lord. We also talk about the gift of physical presence and the importance of a biblical view of “self-care,” timely topics in the lead up to Christmas.

“Above and Beyond: Stories and Reflections from Chaplaincy at Heathrow Airport” is available at Ritchie Christian Media https://www.ritchiechristianmedia.co.uk and Gospel Folio https://gospelfolio.com.

Scriptures Referenced:
Matt 1:23; Luke 10:25-37; Mark 4:35-41
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Just in case you are thinking of getting some books for Christmas (and who wouldn’t be?), we’re bringing you our eighth instalment of Cloak, Books, and Parchments (2Tim 4:13). There is no book like the Bible but we all learn from the ministry of others, including ministry that comes to us in written form. Mike & Matthew share brief reviews of 7 books for your reading pleasure, and also provide a heads up for the February Reading Challenge.
– Let Earth Receive Her King by Allistair Begg (Good Book Co)
– Elisabeth Elliot: A Life by Lucy S.R. Austen (Crossway)
– One With My Lord, The Life Changing Reality of Being in Christ, by Sam Allberry (Crossway)
– Remember Heaven: Meditations on the World to Come for Life in the Meantime by Matthew McCullough (Crossway)
– I Am David by Anne Holm (Farshore)
– Armada: The Spanish Enterprise and England’s Deliverance in 1588 by Colin Martin & Geoffrey Parker (Yale University Press)
– Taking God at His Word by Kevin DeYoung (Crossway)

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If carnival mirrors distort our image and make us laugh, the gospel mirror corrects our image and shows us our true selves. And standing in front of this gospel mirror is a crucial part of enduring trials with joy. We’re all haves or have-nots when it comes to things like money, looks, and romantic success, and so much of the pain we experience comes to us in these areas. Learn how seeing yourself in God’s mirror of the gospel can make a world of difference.

Scriptures Referenced:
James 1:9-12; Heb 10:34; Song of Sol 4:9

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Now that I’m a Christian, I don’t need to fear punishment for my sins… right? So why does Scripture still speak of judgment for believers? Guest contributor Nathan Pratt joins Matthew to help us understand three judgments in relation to believers.

Scriptures Referenced:
1Cor 3:10-15; 1Cor 9:29; 1Cor 11:27-32; Heb 12:3-15; 1Pet 2:24

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James invites us to take a new perspective on trials—to see them as occasions for joy. Yes, easier said than done. But to help us take this counterintuitive approach to life’s hard stuff, James points us to something we need to know, pray, and see.

Scriptures Referenced: James 1:1-8

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In our concluding episode from the Book of Nehemiah, Mike & Matthew bring us the chapter’s challenges to our heart concerning our trust and our separation. What is Biblical separation? How is it a gospel issue? And how does it relate to Nehemiah pulling out people’s hair?

Scriptures Referenced:
Nehemiah 13; 2Corinthians 6:14-18

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Just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean you’re immune from doubting God’s love. And an insufficient grasp of God’s love for us can lead to a host of other problems in our walk with the Lord. Malachi 1:1-5 can help. There we discover God’s burden to reassure us of his love, and to do so by giving us a pair of gospel contact lenses. Will you put in your gospel contacts?

Scriptures Referenced:
Malachi 1:1-5; Eph 3:14-19; Romans 5:5-8

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Has God done some special things in your life, or in the life of your local church, that should be specially commemorated? Is there wisdom in marking milestones in your family? Matthew & Mike give us some more contemporary practical applications from the Book of Nehemiah.

Scriptures Referenced:
Nehemiah 12

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