A few years after Isaac, the promised child, was born, Abraham faced a pivotal moment in his journey of faith. It was the most faith-filled, yet frightening moment any of us could imagine as God asked Abraham to lay his Isaac on the altar pf sacrifice.

In the first message of our series entitled "Christmas Surprises," we learn of one of the greatest surprises we could imagine. This shocking surprise is a baby with a sword.

There are many hurting people in our world and many of them have lost hope because they don't think they will ever be free from the pain of their past. The good news is that when we turn to God, He turns our lives around. There is hope for those who hurt!

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce that she had found favor with God and had been chosen to give birth to the long-awaited Messiah, Mary responded with faith, humility, and obedience. Now it's our turn to experience the favor and the power of God. Like Mary, we have to respond to God's call with faith, humility, and obedience.

The Israelites lost a certain battle to the Philistines not because God wasn't powerful enough to deliver them, but because they harbored attitudes that led to defeat. (Recorded at RLC's Friends & Family Day at the park.)

One of the earmarks of a genuine surrender to Jesus is a changed life. A saved person lives differently than he or she did in the past. That life is marked by holiness.