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2004
Are you ready for Christmas?
- By Dr. Jim Denison
- Published 12/17/2004
- 2004
This is my last essay for the year. I'll be preaching the next two weekends but out of the office for most of the weekdays. What is the best way to close another year of "The Word Today?" My first thought is one of gratitude to God and to you. I remember vividly how this ministry started during the Christmas holidays in 1999, as I sensed the Lord's leading to begin writing a daily e-mail essay.
Saints and the rest of us
- By Dr. Jim Denison
- Published 12/16/2004
- 2004
For reasons I'll explain tomorrow, I'm answering a Friday question on Thursday. A reader writes: "With the recent news about Mother Teresa becoming a saint, I would appreciate a lesson about who was the first saint, how it came about, why we have saints, and anything you might add." The question is more appropriate for the Christmas season than meets the eye.
Stocks in your stocking
- By Dr. Jim Denison
- Published 12/15/2004
- 2004
Very little worth predicting can be. We'd all like a guaranteed fourth year, but few of us are given one. Think about the most transformative events of recent history. 9-11 comes to mind first, with Pearl Harbor a close second. Closer to home, I think first of where I was standing when Janet told me she was pregnant with our first child. And our second.
Self-purchase before things heat up
- By Dr. Jim Denison
- Published 12/14/2004
- 2004
We already knew materialism exists these days, that America is in the midst of the longest buying escalation in history. Now this morning's New York Times offers the latest trend: buying Christmas presents for ourselves. Retailers say that they're selling more than ever before, but that much of it is apparently for the buyer. Gifts are first for ourselves.
Sandwiches and souls
- By Dr. Jim Denison
- Published 12/13/2004
- 2004
Do you remember the hubbub about the Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich? A woman made herself such a lunch, but before eating it she noticed an image in the toast which she believed to be the Virgin Mary. So she boxed the sandwich in an airtight container for ten years, and recently sold it on eBay for $28,000.
Forgiving at Christmas
- By Dr. Jim Denison
- Published 12/10/2004
- 2004
Today's Friday question comes from two readers, both of whom responded on the same day to the recent series on forgiveness. One says, "I have had several discussions on forgiveness with another believer, and he says we don't have to forgive someone unless they ask us for forgiveness. He is referring to God asking us to repent of our sins in order to be forgiven by him. I told him that I thought we should forgive regardless of whether they ask for it or not. Which one of us does scripture agree with?"
Help for the shopping-impaired
- By Dr. Jim Denison
- Published 12/9/2004
- 2004
The Journal today profiles the annual Neiman Marcus Christmas catalog, with its 60 limited edition 2005 Maserati Quatroportes (all of which sold in four minutes); $8,000 hand-encrusted crystal versions of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head; and a $20,000 customized suit of armor. None seems just right for my wife and family. Perhaps I should buy Janet one of the new recliners customized for women. The Journal shows pictures of the slimmed-down models in colors like raspberry. Archie Bunker would be horrified.
Giving like Sinterklaas
- By Dr. Jim Denison
- Published 12/8/2004
- 2004
The Associated Press is reporting today on a most unusual Christmas gift. An anonymous tipster in Kansas City, Missouri was eligible to receive a $40,000 reward for providing information which led to an arrest in a murder case. But the person has refused the reward, asking that it go instead to a charity established in the victim's name.
When you reach the end of the rope
- By Dr. Jim Denison
- Published 12/7/2004
- 2004
The Jewish people eventually came to believe that this promised Messiah would be a military conqueror, a general and hero who would overthrow the cursed Roman Empire and exalt their nation over all the earth. What they got was a baby in a feed trough. But it's not how the story begins, it's how it ends.
Waiting for Christmas
- By Dr. Jim Denison
- Published 12/6/2004
- 2004
When I was a kid, it was about now that Christmas seemed it would never come. I'd already visited Santa with my list of expected toys. We didn't have a fireplace, but he assured me he would get them under my tree anyway. Now there was nothing to do but wait. And I hate to wait.