A Christ Follower: The Journey

The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,  and saves such as have a humble spirit. Psalm 34:18 Broken hearts are not uncommon during this "season to be jolly."  Grief and loss are a very real part of each holiday (holy day.)  One need only turn on our 24/7 news cycle to know for a fact that the families of 20 children and 6 adults will be journeying through the valley of the shadow of death during this season of Christmas Carols, Choir Cantatas, Christmas parties and Christmas plays. Brightly wrapped presents will be dampened because many of us are missing some very special people who are no longer present this side of eternity. Or we have lost a job... or a family member's health or our health is grieving us.  Yes indeed... a broken heart is a very real part of everyday living. Yet, as we commemorate the birth of the Son of God who is one with God, we might help ourselves to remember that this same baby is the "Wonderful Counselor!"  He &

After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, joy was lost. God expelled them from their garden home to prevent something worse from happening. If they had eaten from the tree of life after eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, they would have lived forever in their misery.   Life outside the garden was not easy. Adam and Eve had to work hard for their food. The reality of death was everywhere, and animals preyed on one another. Even worse, the couple’s firstborn son murdered his younger brother. What could be worse? Sin had pierced their lives, and the couple could not stop joy from draining out.   But God had a plan to restore joy. Joy was lost in the Garden when death came, but joy returned through birth—the birth of God’s own Son. “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people” (Luke 2:10). Jesus grew up to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and raise the dead. But this was just a taste of things to come. God entered our world, experienced our s