Have you ever heard this before? Whether we are talking about romantic relationships, familial relationships, collegial relationships, or general friendship, I believe love is what carries people through the difficult seasons. No matter what you may be going through, the love we share with the people beside us is our stabling force. But what happens when that love fades or those relationships become frayed? Believe it or not, love still holds us. However, it is not our love that I am speaking of, rather

If you're anything like me, you've been running around singing Christmas songs ever since Thanksgiving (or maybe even before)! There is just something different about this season that rings differently. Maybe it's the music, maybe it's the weather, maybe it's the holiday parties, maybe it's the presents. Whatever it is, it seems to bring a little joy to our hearts. This week, our theme in worship is Joy. And yet, as I think about what brings me joy in this season, all of

Do you like being surprised? Some people like being surprised while others would rather anticipate most things that happen around them. Sometimes people talk about the birth of a baby as a surprise. People will say, "she was a surprise" or "he was a surprise." As we continue into the advent story we all realize in so many ways that Jesus- Jesus- Jesus himself was a "surprise." The birth of Jesus was not planned by Mary and Joseph. The surprise