When Christ was born, so was our hope.

First, God does not send people to hell. He simply honors their choice. Hell is the ultimate expression of God's high regard for the dignity of man. He has never forced us to choose Him, even when that means we would choose Hell.

If we think that this life is all there is to life, then there is no interpretation of our problems, our pain, not even of our privileges. But everything changes when we open up to the possibility that God's story is really our story too.

That's what I'm hoping we can all do, is come together in a spirit of prayer.

Gratitude lifts our eyes off the things we lack so we might see the blessings we possess.

Jesus isn't a God who stayed on the mountaintop - he's a Savior who came down and lived and worked with the people.

Does God notice when I'm afraid? Note the resolve in the eyes of Jesus as he marches through the storm to rescue his friends.