Inspiration Faith & Prayer Health & Wellness Entertainment Love & Family
Newsletters Special Offers

Mark D. Roberts

Part 4 of series: Introduction to Advent Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series So far in this series I’ve explained what Advent is and why I have found it helpful to observe Advent. If you’re at all convinced, you may wonder what to do about it. In this post and the next…

Part 3 of series: Introduction to Advent Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series In my last post, I told the story of my Advent beginnings. When I started out as pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in 1991, for the first time in my life, I began to see Advent as a distinct…

This is an excerpt from my Advent Devotional Guide that uses the Advent wreath. If you have a real wreath, you can use it, either alone, or with others. If you don’t have a wreath, follow this guide, and you can “light” the Advent candle for today online. (I originally wrote this guide for families…

Part 2 of series: Introduction to Advent Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series In yesterday’s post, I explained the timing and purpose of Advent, as well as its unexpected color scheme. I closed by noting that Advent is growing in popularity, especially among Protestant Christians who, in many cases, did not grow…

Part 1 of series: Introduction to Advent Permalink for this post / Permalink for this series This coming Sunday is the first day of Advent. If you’ve been reading my blog for more than a year, you know that I generally make a big deal out of Advent. If you’re new to my blog, however,…

READ Psalm 100:1-5  Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4 On this Thanksgiving Day, we Americans are encouraged to pause and give thanks to God. In his Thanksgiving Proclamation of 1863, President Abraham Lincoln wrote: “The year that is drawing toward…

I’ll never forget something I heard at the baccalaureate service that was part of my graduation from college. As I sat in the Memorial Church of Harvard University, the President of Radcliffe College (part of Harvard) said something like, “The baccalaureate service is a traditional ceremony of thanks and praise.” Wow, I thought, that’s surprisingly…

For several years, it has been my history to put up a bit of Thanksgiving history during the week prior to the holiday. So, once again, here is a brief history of Thanksgiving. Severnal years ago I asked my six-year-old nephew, “On Thanksgiving, to whom do we say thank you?” He quickly responded, “To the…

As you know, on Thursday we celebrate Thanksgiving Day. Yet for many of us, that day is so full of activity that we actually have little time for intentional, extended giving thanks to God. So, as has been my tradition for many years, I will put up several posts in anticipation of Thanksgiving Day in…

The Ingredients of Salvation READ Psalm 85:1-13  Unfailing love and truth have met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed! Psalm 85:10 Usually, when Christians talk about salvation, we point to being saved from sin and death through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Salvation has to do with the promise of life after death. “Are you…
archives most recent
search this blog
More from Beliefnet and our partners