The Christmas Story

By Benjamin H. Liles

        Usually when someone is conceived and then born it is to live life abundantly and to the fullest. In the case of Jesus Christ, lord and Savior, He was born to give His life so that those who believe on Him have eternal life. As we're told in Mark, "They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again" (Mark 10:32-34).

The Heart of Recovery (Book Reviews)

By Benjamin H. Liles

          I often find that forgiveness is a very interesting creature. Recently I wrote that "Reconciliation is more than simple forgiveness, but seeking to make community whole and better." Then I read the majority of the verses of Hebrews 12:14, Matthew 5:24, and Ephesians 2:15-18. In other words, what Deborah and David are doing with their book, The Heart of Recovery, is to show and hep those caught in painful addiction that there is a way out; a way of hope and future. It's why I love what God tells Jeremiah, "For I know the plans I have for you; they arethe way of peace, not evil, to give you a hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11).