In 1997, Boyz II Men recorded A Song for Mama. The song is a tribute to mothers and the sacrifices they make for their children. If you have ever been to a wedding and witnessed a mother and son dance to this song, you know that by the time the song gets to these lyrics, there is not a dry eye in the room.

“You were there for me to love and care for me
When skies were gray
Whenever I was down
You were always there to comfort me
And no one else can be
What you have been to me . . .”

As the groom prepares to begin life with his new bride, he takes a moment to thank the most important woman in his life for her love demonstrated through her sacrifice.

As great as a mother’s sacrifice is for her son, remember that Jesus came to Earth to make the perfect sacrifice for all mankind.”

As great as a mother’s sacrifice is for her son, remember that Jesus came to Earth to make the perfect sacrifice for all mankind. May we be even more moved to tears and feel a deep sense of gratitude as we read and reflect on the love God demonstrated towards us through Jesus’s sacrifice.

The post LOOKING FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS: Looking Forward to Love (YOU-Win’25, Study 1, Session 4) appeared first on YOU.

Most churches try their best to offer convenience when it comes to worship. That’s not a bad thing. We need to try to remove any obstacle believers might have to be able to worship. We have climate-controlled spaces, preferred parking for seniors, visitors, and expectant mothers. Coffee is often available in the foyer, and since the pandemic, many churches offer a streaming option so that you could join in from the comfort of your own couch or even your bed.

It’s easy to forget that there are people half a world away that risk their lives to worship with other believers. For them it takes planning and a little cunning to be there. Some don’t have access to Bibles. They pass around scraps of Bibles that they salvaged from the last confiscation they experienced in the village by authorities.

We might worship in comfort, ease, and convenience, but we are a slim minority of the long history of the worshiping church, including the Magi who made the arduous journey to kneel at the feet of the Christ child.”

We might worship in comfort, ease, and convenience, but we are a slim minority of the long history of the worshiping church, including the Magi who made the arduous journey to kneel at the feet of the Christ child.

The post LOOKING FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS: Looking Forward in Worship (YOU-Win’25, Study 1, Session 5) appeared first on YOU.

Michael Jr. is a Christian comedian. He has a gift to make people laugh. His performances bring joy to all those that attend. His comedy draws attendees from different age groups, life situations, and cultural backgrounds. He sees laughter and joy as an entry point to get people to think about deeper things. Once at a comedy show in California, Michael Jr. experienced the power of joy in a very real way. A gentleman came up to him after the show visibly in tears. He told Michael Jr. that he was a wanted criminal. That night, the gentleman decided to turn himself in and asked Michael Jr. to call the police on his behalf. Before being driven off in the police car, the man allowed Michael Jr. to pray for him.

Joy can open our hearts to hear from God. Allow the joy of this season to bring a smile to your face and draw you in to the deeper things of Christ. What part of the story of Jesus’s birth brings you joy? How can you share that joy with others?”

Indeed, joy can open our hearts to hear from God. Allow the joy of this season to bring a smile to your face and draw you in to the deeper things of Christ. What part of the story of Jesus’s birth brings you joy? How can you share that joy with others?

The post LOOKING FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS: Looking Forward to Joy (YOU-Win’25, Study 1, Session 3) appeared first on YOU.

Hallmark Christmas movies seem to come earlier every year. Some love them. Others, not so much. One thing that’s great about these Christmas movies is that they are predictably, inevitably heartwarming. A typical movie occurs in a picturesque small town where a handsome, career-focused bachelor from the big city reconnects with his high school friend. She’s recently widowed. A conflict occurs around her cookie shop that is about to be shut down because of some new ordinance passed by the antagonist mayor. But romance between the city guy and his old friend ensues, and the Christmas spirit rekindles the heart of an antagonist which culminates with a festive celebration and a comical, romantic mistletoe kiss (cue the snowmaker). Hot cocoa, cookies, and peace prevail.

Perfect endings and peace are hard to come by on Earth, but we all long for it, and perhaps that why those movies, no matter how predictable, continue to be celebrated. Advent celebrates a different story. It happened in a broken world, full of injustice until the one and only Creator stepped from glory to the grit of this war-torn world to offer us everlasting peace.”

It’s great for an escape, but life is a little different. Perfect endings and peace are hard to come by on Earth, but we all long for it, and perhaps that why those movies, no matter how predictable, continue to be celebrated. Advent celebrates a different story. It happened in a broken world, full of injustice until the one and only Creator stepped from glory to the grit of this war-torn world to offer us everlasting peace.

The post LOOKING FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS: Looking Forward to Peace (YOU-Win’25, Study 1, Session 2) appeared first on YOU.

Hope can take many forms. For children, hope might center on what they’ll open on Christmas Day. As we get older, hope can shift from excitement to expectation and from surprises to survival.

Army Air Forces Sergeant Lloyd Ponder knew that kind of hope. In a Japanese POW camp during World War II, Ponder had an undying hope for freedom. “I remember thinking, ‘If anyone is going to get out of this alive, it’s going to be me.’” Ponder reflected, “Determination is the attitude you had to have, knowing you could survive whatever!” What kept him focused on surviving? “Hope makes a difference,” Ponder concluded. “If you don’t have hope, you’re gone. Having hope can get you through anything.”

Hope keeps us going, and hope is what Advent is all about. It is not a hope for presents but hope for a Presence. Before the coming of Jesus, God’s people leaned in on hope as they waited for the coming of a savior.

Hope keeps us going, and hope is what Advent is all about. It is not a hope for presents but hope for a Presence. Before the coming of Jesus, God’s people leaned in on hope as they waited for the coming of a savior.”

As we make this sacred journey to Bethlehem, we can reflect on the hope that was fulfilled and celebrated in the wonder of salvation.

The post LOOKING FORWARD TO CHRISTMAS: Looking Forward with Hope (YOU-Win’25, Study 1, Session 1) appeared first on YOU.

People like rescue stories. Perhaps that’s why we flock to theaters to watch movies like Harriet based on the life of Harriet Tubman, a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, and Black Panther, a Marvel Comics movie featuring the fictitious nation, Wakanda. In films like these, we have seen slaves freed and kingdoms rescued.

However, not every testimony of rescue is as dramatic as those depicted on the silver screen. Maybe you cried for rescue when you came to the stark realization that math now included letters as you started algebra. You may have needed advice while raising your children or grandchildren. Some of us have volunteered to host a family holiday dinner for the first time but needed the help of a seasoned cook—and an aunt provided the rescue you needed: a shoebox containing Grandma’s handwritten recipes.

We often cry out to various sources when trouble comes our way. But in Psalm 30, when David needed rescue, he cried out to God and trusted Him to meet his needs.”

We often cry out to various sources when trouble comes our way. But in Psalm 30, when David needed rescue, he cried out to God and trusted Him to meet his needs. True to His character, God heard David’s cry and came to his aid. God can rescue us too! When He does, our response should be one of thanksgiving and praise, just like David’s.

The post THE GOD WHO RESCUES (YOU-Fall’24, Special Focus Study, Session SF) appeared first on YOU.

One of the key points from a recent Psychology Today article about revenge says, “Revengeful thoughts and behavior are a temporary distraction from underlying suffering.” Ironically, it seems that many of us want to exact revenge because we believe it will make things right, or it will make us feel better about what we’ve lost. When we experience loss at the hands of others, we may assume that our anger is about injustice, but that is just the label. The true issue is internal pain that we have limited solutions for.

Revengeful thoughts and behavior are a temporary distraction from underlying suffering.”

In Joseph’s case, his brothers were deserving of all the wrath he could have dealt. They had to be convinced to sell him into slavery as a substitute for murder (Gen. 37:18-28). But instead of dealing out punishment, he pulled them closer. Once he revealed his identity and told them of his plans to care for them and Jacob, he “. . . kissed each of his brothers as he wept . . .” (Gen. 45:15). He focused on his brothers and thought of his father, fixing the internal rejection he experienced prior to being sold (Gen. 37:4-11). Joseph was betrayed, imprisoned, and elevated to prominence but he never sought revenge. Why?

The post NAVIGATING FAMILY CONFLICT: Joseph and His Brothers – Family Reconciliation (YOU-Fall’24, Study 2, Session 6) appeared first on YOU.

Jealousy thrives in the world of artists and musicians. One Sun Sentinel article details the heated rivalry between R&B supergroups New Edition and Guy at the 1989 Superfest in Greensboro, NC. New Edition was the headliner of the tour, but Guy—the newer group with the fresher look and sound—was becoming an audience favorite. As Guy performed and felt the support of the crowd, they continued in their performance over the allotted time. This “angered members of New Edition, who brazenly took the stage while Guy was performing.” Eventually a brawl broke out on stage, causing the whole show to be suspended for an hour. A crew member from New Edition ended up dead. All of the senseless violence was a direct result of jealousy. It is pervasive, and not just in the art world. Families often stew in that sort of emotional unhealthiness. The story of Joseph offers a clear example.

Jealousy is pervasive. Families often stew in that sort of emotional unhealthiness. The story of Joseph offers a clear example.”

The post NAVIGATING FAMILY CONFLICT: Joseph and His Brothers – Family Jealousy (YOU-Fall’24, Study 2, Session 5) appeared first on YOU.

The cartoon character, Charlie Brown, once said, “Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.” That statement rings true for Jacob. He lived much of his life as a swindling, con man. Nearly all of Jacob’s relationships involved conflict. No conflict was more profound than the sibling rivalry between Jacob and Esau.

The cartoon character, Charlie Brown, once said, “Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate.”

These brothers hated one another in differing ways. Jacob expressed his pride and rivalry against Esau with mental warfare, needling him for his birthright and scheming with his mother to steal his blessing. Esau responded to his betrayal with boisterous hatred and threats. Esau appeared to show no regard for the prophecy that he would, one day, serve his younger brother. To make matters worse, their parents, Isaac and Rebekah, fed the fire of their rivalry.

As grown men, they met in what could have resulted in the death of rivals. Both brothers, twins, desired to dominate the other. One felt entitled by birth; the other felt entitled because he bartered, swindled, and outwitted the other. Betrayal and treachery nearly collided with death because of the sibling rivalry between Jacob and Esau. Nearly.

The post NAVIGATING FAMILY CONFLICT: Jacob and Esau – Family Rivalries (YOU-Fall’24, Study 2, Session 4) appeared first on YOU.

Jerome is a 28-year-old guy who’s a die-hard Miami Dolphins fan. He’s been that way since he was five, not because Miami is his hometown, but because when he was five, he loved dolphins and when he saw the helmet, he was all in for life. He wouldn’t be a Jets fan. He hates the Jets. That’s just how our favorites work. Favorites make us human. We make binary choices as we get older. We might start out in neutral, but we never stay that way. Chocolate or Vanilla, Cadillacs or Lincolns, Macs or PCs, boxers, or briefs—favorites define who we are. But in families, favorites devastate.

Favoritism weaves through the story of Jacob and Esau. The stage is set from the start. Mom and Dad (Isaac and Rebekah) both choose their pick of the litter. Isaac preferred Esau. Rebekah preferred Jacob. They promised, doted, conspired, and deceived to give their favorite son the upper hand.

Favoritism weaves through the story of Jacob and Esau. The stage is set from the start. Mom and Dad (Isaac and Rebekah) both choose their pick of the litter. Isaac preferred Esau. Rebekah preferred Jacob. They promised, doted, conspired, and deceived to give their favorite son the upper hand.”

Your family of origin may have been like the family of Isaac and Rebekah, it may not have instilled positive practices, but families teach us some of our greatest lessons and reveal some of our greatest shortcomings. It is through our families we should learn how to love one another.

The post NAVIGATING FAMILY CONFLICT: Isaac and Rebekah – Family Favorites (YOU-Fall’24, Study 2, Session 3) appeared first on YOU.