It's hard to believe. Amid turkey-dinner plans, anticipated shopping trips, and gaily decorated stores, stands a group of folks who aren't excited. The turkey sounds dry, the shopping trips stagnant, and the season's "ho-ho-ho" greets a spirit of inaudible sighs of heaviness. That's right. Many folks do not take pleasure in the approaching holidays. A variety of reasons come to mind: expenses, booking flights, flights canceling, and dysfunctional families. I could write several posts on each of the lists that pop into my mind today. But today I want to focus on one. Grief. Do you … [Read more...] about THE GRIEF OF HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS
WHEN GOD GRIEVES…
...are you the cause? I was reading Ephesians and it said, “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [do not offend or vex or sadden Him], by Whom you were sealed (marked, branded as God’s own, secured) for the day of redemption.” Eph. 4:30. Preceding that verse there is a list of things that are quite offensive to the Holy Spirit: foul or polluting language, evil words, unwholesome or worthless talk. In fact, it states that our conversation be “only such speech as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a … [Read more...] about WHEN GOD GRIEVES…