Prayer Focus: God is the Potter, I’m just clay

Almighty God, help me to see what it truly means that I am a created being.  That You formed all of mankind from the dust of the ground in essence when You created Adam and when You formed Eve from one of his ribs. Lord, we praise You for breathing life into Adam and that is how he became… a living being. We thank You for the life we have even though human sin has made our existence a world outside of Eden. We remember that ours wasn’t created to be an imperfect world with thorns and thistles, pain and suffering. No. At one point when You breathed life into Adam and placed him in Your perfect garden, everything was completely perfect, holy, and in harmony. Remind me, Lord, that You are the Potter and I’m just clay. I am the dust of the earth and You formed me in the womb just as You continue to form me for eternity. I pray You will form my character and heart so my actions will bring glory to You. May heaven forbid that my heart or actions would grieve You. Help me to remember that You are the Potter and Your plan is both perfect and wise. So when I don’t get a choice of Your will for me or my circumstance, I pray Lord that I will see You in this all and know that Your will is always good and always perfect, though sometimes I can’t see it. May I willingly and cheerfully submit myself to Your almighty hand forming me, molding me, and to use me for Your purposes in this world… to bring others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ … to do Your work as Your hands and feet now that Jesus Christ is ascended to heaven. We thank You for the Great Commission that You have given to each of us to make disciples of all nations and to teach others–without prejudice–about who You are and about Your goodness to us all. Give me ears to hear and a mind to remember everything that You have taught us, recorded in Your Word, about the life of Jesus on Earth. May I be a willing instrument in Your hand, to be formed even as You use me to form others for Your glory. Thank You for creating us Lord. We praise You that while we are hard-pressed, we are not crushed to destruction because of Your mercy. We have hope and a future. We offer thanks to You in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Your Son and our Savior. Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2020 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals remain popular, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.

Prayer Focus: God as Divine Creator

Lord God, our Divine Creator, we praise You and thank You for the beauty of this creation that You have made… that You designed well before it ever came to be.  We praise You that out of nothing ex nihilo that You created the stars in the sky, the sun, the moon, the earth, the plants, the animals, the fish, and the birds.  We praise You that every part of the creation which You have made was very good in the beginning!  We praise You for the way in which You created this world and we ask, Lord, that we would be mindful always that we are created beings.   That it’s our responsibility to care for this beautiful creation which You have made.  That it is our pleasure to receive what the land yields and to shepherd over this world which You have made.  We’re sorry, Father, for the many ways that we have not respected the land.  We’re sorry, Lord, for failing to care for this creation including the animals and other people.  We are seeing anew, Lord, that there is an Image of Yours in every human being– there’s not a man, a woman, a child, or a fetus who has not been endowed with Your Image.  This fact is irrespective of our race, gender, upbringing, or other demographic.  It is irrespective the level of sin that we have because Your Image is still there, however broken in humanity it may be on account of our sin.  We know that it wasn’t always this way in the beginning.  There was a time in which humanity had Your perfect Image.  This world, too, was absolutely perfect before we disrespected Your boundaries, violated Your commands, transgressed against Your kindness, love, and mercy.  We thank You Lord for Your forgiveness—a forgiveness that was bought on the Cross by Jesus Christ Your Son.  We thank You Lord that Your mercies are new every morning and You give us opportunities to live as we ought.  Grant that we would live as self-aware created beings worshipping You, our Creator, who alone deserves to be worshiped.  We praise You and thank You for this vision of You as our Divine Creator.  Keep us humble and help us bring glory to You for all the good You have done to us.  Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2020 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals remain popular, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.

Prayer Focus: God’s Image and His Image in us

Lord God Almighty, we praise You and thank You that we have been created in Your Image.  We praise You and we thank You that Your Image is perfect.  We praise You and thank You that You created us both male and female to be in Your Image.  We praise You and thank You for Your goodness to us.  Help us to see Your Image in our fellow man.  May seeing Your Image in others help us to be better people… to offer grace where grace is needed, to love unconditionally as a reflection of the love You have for us.  Always help us to recall this great love You had in sending Your Son Jesus Christ to die on a Cross for our sins.  We’re sorry, Lord, for the many ways that we have let You down, for our sin nature that we did ourselves by rebelling against You.  Forgive us, Lord, for the sins we have committed as a culture.  Forgive me, Lord, for the sins I have committed.  Forgive me for the sins that I know about and for the ones that have arisen from my nature that remain hidden from my eyes.  May Your Holy Spirit convict me of the things I’ve done which grieve You.  May Your Holy Spirit encourage me to see Your Image in myself and to see Your Image in others.  And most of all, Lord, to see You for who You are.  We offer praise and thanks to You on this Ash Wednesday.  The ashes remind us that You did not have to condescend to save us, but it’s an expression of the magnitude of the love You have for us as Your Image bearers.  Remind us of the sin we have committed in our thoughts, our actions, and in our attempts to hide from You.  Most of all, please remind us—deep in our souls—of the great love You have shown to us by offering forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Lord. May our gratitude rise to You as praise and all glory. Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2020 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals remain popular, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another– and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

It’s not enough to run our own race, stay in our own lane, do our own thing, and mind our own business.  On God’s Christmas List, He wants us to help others along the way, too.  In so many places in the Bible, God teaches us to look out for the wellbeing of others (Genesis 18:17-33, Philippians 2:4, Galatians 6:2, Luke 10:36-37, etc.).  Part of that wellbeing is to bring out the best in our fellow man, not egging them into their worst behaviors.  It also involves meeting with likeminded Christian people and strengthening each other.  As it becomes more difficult with the darkness of our world building like storm clouds all around us, we will remain strong by encouraging each other, meeting with each other, and by holding one another accountable. 

On this Christmas Eve and always, that’s what God wants: His people standing strong, grounded in God-fearing unity, and shining brightly with His Gospel truth to be joyfully shared with the world which desperately needs Him.

Think About It: 

• What are some of the ways we can spur one another on? 
• What tangible actions can you take today to encourage someone else? 
• Why would God admonish us to do it all the more as we see the Day (of His Return and Judgment) approaching?

Dear Father, help me to see that Christmas and the birth of Christ wasn’t just about a little baby in a manger, but a revolutionary act of reclamation of Your people by Your perfect design.  Remind me often that had it not been for Your intervention at Christmas in the person of Jesus Christ, each and every man, woman, and child no matter where they lived or who their parents were…all would have been lost for eternity because that’s just how bad sin is.  Open my eyes and my heart to the gravity and power of what You accomplished in the Incarnation.  It is why Christmas endures and will until Your return at Your second advent, Lord Jesus.  Amen!

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:22-23) 

When all else around us fails, when people fail us, when our family fails us, and when we fail ourselves, this is the hope we can hold onto:  God is faithful.  Period.

Think About It:

• To know without a doubt that God is faithful is greatly reassuring.  We don’t need to turn to the right or to the left in search of something or someone who will be faithful.  What is our assurance based upon?  Read Hebrews 10:5-25 for context of this important assurance.
• What does unswervingly mean?  Why does God encourage us to hold unswervingly to hope?

In Scripture and therefore on God’s Christmas List, we hold onto hope.

Dear Lord, when I am prone to doubt, when I am lonely and questioning everything, when I do not know where to turn, please dear God, remind me of this assurance:  You are faithful.  Help me to look with eyes of faith not through the lens of my circumstances which are temporary.  Help me to know the eternal weight of glory that outweighs my afflictions.  I thank You and praise You for Your faithfulness.  Amen.

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Join me beginning December 1, 2019 by signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page to receive these daily devotionals. Let’s enjoy exploring what might be on God’s Christmas list.

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• Last year’s Advent Devotional Series (2018) Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

It’s often said that Christianity is a relationship not a religion.  But there is a religious aspect to it, too, enough that God would put it on His Christmas List. 

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James. 1:27). 

God desires that we honor purity in our religion. 
Pure.  Faultless.  Those are the bookends of acceptable religion and religious practices.

Think About It:

• Religion can be viewed as the outworking of what one has hidden in his/her heart.  Can we have different outworking depending on our call and our environment? 
• Most of us don’t encounter orphans or widows all day long.  How are those two individual groups pointing to a Christ-honoring religion? 
• Why is it important to God that we do not become polluted by the world once we are in relationship with Christ? 
• A Christianity without religion misses something, but a Christianity without a relationship with Jesus Christ misses everything.  What are they missing and why must Christ be in Christianity?

Dear Father, Jesus prayed to You saying, “I have given them Your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.  My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (John 17:14-15).  Give us strength to stand our ground on purity.  Give us hearts to pursue religion of caring about others in tangible ways.  Give us comfort so we may comfort others.  Give us hope so we will not become discouraged when we are ridiculed and reviled as Jesus was.  Remind us every day of Your goodness to us and help us to appreciate the fullness of life You give.  May we keep Christ in Christmas and in our hearts always.  Amen.

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Join me beginning December 1, 2019 by signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page to receive these daily devotionals. Let’s enjoy exploring what might be on God’s Christmas list.

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• Last year’s Advent Devotional Series (2018) Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

In a world filled with division, rancor, and deceptive behavior, God has as an item on God’s Christmas List for Christ followers to be every bit as countercultural as Jesus was.  The attacks upon Him were as hateful and cruel then as the attacks upon God-fearers today.  The vitriol oozed from every pore as they called Him “Mary’s son” (Mark 6:3) suggesting His birth was illegitimate.  They called Him a drunkard and glutton, a friend of tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 11:19).  They viewed His words as blasphemy (Matthew 9:3).  They had Him crucified.

You think you’ve had a bad day or two.  It doesn’t compare.  But into this world, God calls us to rise above it.  To pursue peace and holiness.

Think About It:

• In Hebrews 12:11-15, we read, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. “Make level paths for your feet,” so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed. Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.”  How do bitter roots grow? 
• How do we keep from cultivating bitter roots?
• Is it easy to rise above it when falsely accused? 
• In what way does fixing our eyes on Jesus who endured worse (Hebrews 12:3) help us to stay the course?

God wants us to pursue peace and holiness.

Dear Lord, even though others sow bitter seeds and grow bitter roots, let me follow my Savior to higher and better actions.  Let me pursue peace and grow in holiness.  We praise You for the power of Your Holy Spirit who guides and teaches us, helping us to discern those bitter roots.  May I aim for the kind of holiness that is possible because of You.  Be glorified, Lord, in my actions.  Amen.

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Join me beginning December 1, 2019 by signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page to receive these daily devotionals. Let’s enjoy exploring what might be on God’s Christmas list.

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• Last year’s Advent Devotional Series (2018) Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see… And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.’ (Hebrews 11:1, 6)

When we made Christmas lists and wrote letters to Santa as children, we hoped that on Christmas morning, under the tree, we’d find what was on our list.  We might have been so excited we couldn’t sleep that night at all, and before sunrise we’d be creeping down the stairs to look and see if Santa had come.  We believed Santa existed and he read our letters and reindeer could fly with a sleigh full of gifts for good girls and boys.

God operates differently because God isn’t fictional.  He’s real.  Therefore, our faith is in someone worthy of hope and assurance.  There is no doubt that what we ask for in His will, we will receive…all those precious promises!  When God has our faith on His Christmas list, He doesn’t need it for His benefit.  He wants it for ours.  That’s because He knows our faith acknowledging His grace and forgiveness are what saves us and that’s what He wants.  Everyone to know Christ and be saved!  “The LORD rewards everyone for their righteousness and faithfulness” (1 Samuel 26:23).  That—in itself—is all the reward we could ever ask for, but He gives more.  He gives us a relationship with Him through Christ for all eternity. 

Think About It:

• But when God gives reward for faith there’s an individual element to it too.  In Matthew 16:27, we read “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done”.  How does the “individual aspect” incentivize the Christian toward good works? 
• Why does He reward the individual? 
• Read Ephesians 6:7-8  “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.”  How is God’s reward offered without prejudice?

God wants…us to have faith!

Dear Lord, please remind me, even when the task at hand is hard or unpleasant, even when my circumstances are stressful and undesirable, even when my struggles are greater than my pleasures, that it is You whom I am serving.  Help me to have the kind of faith You reward.  May I be found obediently serving You and doing so with joy because I know You exist and I know You reward faithfulness in serving others.  I love You, Lord.  Amen.

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Join me beginning December 1, 2019 by signing up on the sidebar of my Home Page to receive these daily devotionals. Let’s enjoy exploring what might be on God’s Christmas list.

Acknowledging inquiries about an entire season’s devotionals for your study group’s planning purposes, Seminary Gal’s prior seasons’ Advent devotionals can be accessed via the archives to the right and are as follows:  

• Last year’s Advent Devotional Series (2018) Storyteller began December 2, 2018 and entered into the Christmas story through its telling.
• The 2017 series Still Christmas, began December 3, 2017 and was the Advent complement to the Lenten series, Be Still and Know that I AM God.
• The 2016 season devotionals were called “Timeless: The Message of Christmas for All Ages” and explored how the message of Christmas is timeless truth, for all ages of people, and for all ages at all times.  Timeless hope, encouragement, grace, peace, and love as we looked into the Word, saw the face of our Lord Jesus, and experienced restoration in His presence.  His goodness and His Gospel are truly Timeless. The 2016 devotionals began November 27, 2016.
• The 2015 season devotionals were titled Incarnation and involved digging deep–and yes, I mean deep– in this important mystery of Christian theology.  They began November 29, 2015.
• Carol Me, Christmas! remains one of my most popular offerings and tells the Christmas story through our most beloved Christmas hymns and carols.  You can access all of the numbered devotionals from 2014 via the archives.  They began November 30, 2014.
• The 2013 series was Emmanuel: When LOVE Showed Up in Person and examined the Prologue to the Gospel of John.  It began December 1, 2013.
• The 2012 series focused on Expecting the Unexpected…the unexpected, unlikely, and uniquely divine qualities of God’s perfect plan outlined in Luke’s account of the Christmas story.  It began December 1, 2012.