All of us face periods of depression and difficulty but it was never God's plan for us to live there. The nation Israel understood this as they had been in captivity for 70 years and yet God was with them and a promised hope and future for them. The difference was they had to make god their focus and not the captivity was only a part of their story. The real story was the hope and future that God was providing for them.

In the craziness of life Jesus summarized the law for us in a way that makes it so much easier for us to keep His commandments. Jesus stated that all of the law could be summed up in two commands: Love God and Love People. We accomplish this by accepted His love for us.

Ray Delano gives us a Biblical perspective on the difference between joy and happiness. Joy is a gift of God and can not be taken away no matter what happens in our life. What an awesome truth that is? It is a truth that changes the perspective of our life.

The story of Christmas is filled with great complexity. How did the Virgin birth happen? Why did God come to earth as a child and not a warrior? How did all of this happen? The answers can seem very complex but the actual message of Christmas is one that is simple. Christ came to save us and to provide a way for sinful man to reach a holy God.

Have you ever had to buy a gift for the person who has everything? That can be a tough process to decide what to give. Thank God for gift cards! As I was preparing for this message I was thinking what can I give the King of the World this Christmas. As I pondered this question, the answer was simple. I realized that the greatest gift I could give Him this season is my life, my whole life. That is the focus of this message.

The story of Herod in the bible and Dr Seuss' the "Grinch that stole Christmas" remind us that there are those things that would attempt to kill or steal the Christmas Spirit from our heart. But Herod could not kill the Christ of Christmas. Today, he is dead and christ is alive. The Grinch could not steal the spirit of Christmas as the people of Who-ville realized the greater truth, the Christmas spirit in is the heart and not the trappings of Christmas. When we focus on the reason for the the season and we worship the King of the World the the Christmas spirit cannot be taken from us.

Many of us love surprises but no one was as surprised as Mary was the day she encountered the angel Gabriel. Gabriel rocked her world with the news that she was to be the mother of Jesus, The interaction between Gabriel and Mary speaks to how we can also respond to the surprises in our life whether they are sickness in our life whether they are sickness, financial, relational, or spiritual.

Paul in our text calls us to rejoice always. This at times seems impossible because of the issues we face in life. But, Paul never calls us to rejoice in the issues of life, we are called to rejoice in the Lord. Events, circumstances, and people change but God never does. We can rejoice in the lord because of all that he has done for us. Therefore we can live with a grateful heart in spite of the issues in our life.

In the Hall of Fame of Faith of Hebrews 11, we find that those who were recognized in the chapter faced hardships and difficult circumstances. No matter how tough things were, their faith helped them overcome every obstacle and every problem. No matter what happened they continued to focus on the one who is faithful and trustworthy. That is God's call to us today.

While we get to express our faith as individuals, faith is also expressed as a body of believers. In fact, it is the body of Christ that we are encouraged and we can lift up one another. Through a corporate faith together we can move to the rhythm of God's timing and His calling. Whatever your Red Sea or your Jericho wall you can deal with them much better in a community of believers than we can when we are isolated or alone.