Friends add a profound dimension to our lives. Friends can uplift us, can guide us, can admonish us, can laugh with us and can cry with us. A special bond is found between friends. God desires that same bond of friendship. God reaches out to us through Jesus Christ.

There are times when we feel like we have the weight of the world on our shoulders. We all know we will do our best to make the Christmas season go perfectly, no matter how much we know it won't go perfectly. This is why the Scripture from Isaiah 9 is so important to us. God never intended us to carry all that weight! When we give God the glory, we also give God the responsibility.

The Gift of Salvation came from God, who came to us in the form of Jesus. Welcome His peace into your hearts as the events of Advent unfold in Scripture!

While we have moments in our lives we would like to last forever (or at least a little longer), we realize those moments must eventually end. The compassion Jesus shows us is the human translation of God's compassion. Jesus gives us our comfort, as He has triumphed over death.

God cleanses and forgives us in our repentance. Do we forgive others? We makeover our lives when we take on the righteous dress of forgiveness, as taught by Jesus. When we put on the clothes of Jesus, we take on the challenge of having to forgive others, even those who are difficult.

Our understanding of the Church is to be centered around Christ's creation of the church. Universal, caring for all, open arms to all, accepting of all and

So what is the Spirit? WHO is the Holy Spirit? Wind? Breath? Hey called the Spirit an Advocate. A Comforter. The bigger our problems we live through, the greater the comfort we experience from the Spirit. We can carry on Christ- like life changing ministry when comforted, when encouraged by the Spirit. We have a Peace the world cannot give us.

The reality is that we don't know what the future holds for us, only the One holds out future in His hands. We cannot predict the doom and gloom it the end of the world, yet God holds everything in His hands. Trusting God means going forward without knowing the future. The connection of Christ to us was strengthened in His Ascension, in that now He dwells in our hearts.

The Cross of Jesus can be lifted high, but can also be found in low places. Jesus knew he was going to be in Hell for that time. Jesus descended in to Hell to preach to the lost? Was it to experience the total separation from God on our behalf? Why? All the acts Satan are the acts of a defeated foe. We have nothing to fear if we trust in Jesus. There's no reason for us to hide from God.

Who is Jesus? So many have asked that question. It is a question all may have asked at some time in their lives. Jesus brought understanding to those who needed it. He is God in the flesh. He is the visible image of the invisible God himself.