Joy to the World

Authors: EBenz

A very merry Christmas to you! I pray this day brings you rest, peace, and an edifying time of meditating upon the glorious truths of our Savior's birth. May you proclaim His gospel with boldness to friends and family who are lost, and may you find sweet comfort and joy in His gracious Word this day. On a far more trivial note, may your pie

The twinkling lights, the joyful music, the seasonal scents. The clichéd, but inevitable and very real hustle and bustle of the season. The gatherings, the shopping, the wrapping. The menus, the lists, the crowds. Amid these things, we still find our way to the manger; but, mankind being an easily distracted creature, it is there that we stop. We

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)

Authors: EBenz

Mary and Joseph. The angels. The shepherds. The wise men. The innkeeper. And of course, the baby Jesus. These are the people we think of when we remember the Christmas story as told in the gospels. But there is another important character introduced in the early days of the life of Christ who often seems to be forgotten. Open your Bibles to Luke 2

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which w

Well, it's official. Christmas is only one week away. One week. Hard to believe, isn't it? Now, it is no secret that I love Christmas, in spite of the fact that each year my life seems busier than it was the previous December and, as a result, I barely have a chance to even enjoy the holidays. But there are two things that come with this holiday

But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity. (Micah 5:2) O Little Town of Bethlehem Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited

These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) In his recent sermon from John 16, John MacArthur asked, "Why do people not run to Christ so they can have one who loves them, who is the sovereign of the universe?" Indeed, why

'Tis the season for angry Christians to boycott secular businesses that don't wish their customers a "Merry Christmas." But who is really waging this so-called "war on Christmas"? Erin considers this question from a biblical perspective on this episode of Equipping Eve. Click here to listen to the latest episode of Equipping

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord

I am that person. Yes…I love Christmas music. And while I obviously prefer the beautiful hymns and carols of Christmas that exalt our Lord and Savior (my favorite is O Come, O Come Emmanuel), I don't mind the secular classics like White Christmas (I mean, really, who doesn't like a little Bing Crosby? If you don't, I have to question your sanity) o

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what

Looks delicious. (Source) Well, I hope all of my US readers enjoyed a restful and blessed Thanksgiving yesterday. Are you full yet? Or do you need just one more piece of pie? After all, pie is by default a very healthy food. Fruit filling? Check. Fruit is healthy. Whipped cream? Check. Healthy bones need calcium. Perfectly flaky pie crust? Check.

Thankful for family. Thankful for friends. Thankful for a warm house, clothing, food, and a job that provides the income for each. Thankful for safety and good health. Thankful for the birds that sing a good morning song outside the window each day. Thankful for beautiful sunrises and faithfully vivid sunsets. Thankful for a purring kitty.

From time to time, when life gets a little hectic and the blog gets a little too quiet, I like to enlist the aid of guest bloggers to continue to provide the reader with thoughtful and interesting material. Today's guest post comes to us from Pastor Don Green of Truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio. Pastor Green is also the voice of the

The idea of "blessing" has been hijacked by the prosperity movement, but the reality is that those who have been saved are blessed by God. But how is this blessing determined? How is it measured? What does it look like? Is blessing a state of mind, or a state of affairs? Click here to listen to this episode of Equipping Eve. Click here

Thanks to God

Authors: EBenz

Look, I get it: you like to be comfortable. Hey, I like to be comfortable! It's one of the reasons I'm thankful my workplace has a casual dress policy. Let's face it, we ladies especially are going to be more productive if we aren't tottering and freezing in heels and hose, respectively. I'm also thankful that I live in a town that isn't, for

Like every potter he first of all makes the outlines in the clay. You may have seen a man at work executing designs in glass. Perhaps at the very first moment you may form a rough guess of what the whole thing is to be, though the ornament and elaboration which constitute the main part of the beauty you cannot yet discover. Certain it is, that

The Bible is God's final, authoritative, inerrant Word. Yet, it is a sad reality that in evangelicalism today, many pastors handle it with casualness or even callousness. This is why doctrinally sound, in-depth, expository Bible teaching is such an important treasure. Unfortunately, it is a jewel that is becoming more and more rare. That is why

Be Still My Soul

Authors: EBenz

Is it weird that I get excited when the new Menards ad arrives each week? Am I the only one who thinks that Menards is the greatest home improvement store of them all? I love the smell of sawdust and I loved watching my grandfather in his workshop. It's true, this may seem like an odd store for a woman—a woman blogger, no less—to enjoy, but I h

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Authors: EBenz

What is a "humility apron"? It's what happens when Scripture is misappropriated and when gimmicks are used as a means to study the Bible. In short, it's what happens at small group. Click here to listen to this latest episode of Equipping Eve. Click here for a list of resources referenced on this episode of Equipping Eve. Additional