Gospel.com Blog

As the year comes to a close, it’s not uncommon for people to look for ways to make last-minute, end-of-year donations to worthy causes. If you’re looking for a ministry to donate to this year, why not consider one of these ministries from the Gospel.com community? This list of organizations covers all sorts of outreach and ministries types, so you’re sure to find a ministry with a vision you can get behind.

Here’s our (partial!) list of ministries worth supporting. And remember, even if you can’t support your favorite ministry financially, all of these ministries would appreciate your prayer support, and many of them have ways you can contribute your time or talents instead of your money. Without further ado, here’s the list:

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What does the word “Christian” mean to you? What connotations does that term hold for you—positive or negative? Stonecroft Ministries hit the street recently to ask people what they thought of when they heard the word “Christian”, and the responses they got are both candid and enlightening. It’s the first of several online videos in their “Understanding Culture 101″ series. The second and third videos in the series are online as well, so go take a look!

Recent years have seen a lot of Christians and church leaders looking back to the ancient church for ideas about deepening the worship and prayer experience. One traditional prayer practice that’s well worth exploring, according to Josh Cook at the Youth Ministry Exchange, is the “Ignatian Examen”.

There’s nothing strange or mystical about the Examen; it’s simply a guide for taking a few minutes at the end of each day to prayerfully reflect on how God spoke to you during the day—and to think about how you responded, or didn’t respond, to God. Cook’s article sums up the Examen nicely and provides some practical questions you can incorporate into your everyday prayer and devotional life.

Each week, Past the Popcorn offers a thorough look at the latest round of films opening on big screens.

Christmas is over, but the holiday saw several new movies hit theaters. Past the Popcorn reports on this latest round of Christmas releases.

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Most Christians have at least attempted to read the entire bible in a year. For some it comes off without a hitch. For others (like me) it might start well, and then Leviticus comes along. With naive intentions of returning to those priestly codes, we jump ahead to Joshua. Somehow we never quite come back to finish them.

Or, we start in on the New Testament, hit Luke and all those parables coalesce into this massive story about a prodigal fish planting seeds underneath a camel. So, it’s back to Matthew again, and you’re a month behind.

Or, there’s the free-form approach–my personal favorite–where the tried-and-true interesting books are read in no particular order, which generally consists of a mix of Genesis, Job, John and James over and over and over.

We each probably have a story of failing at this bible reading thing, and that’s okay. But perhaps it’s time for a plan.
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What lies in store for you in 2008? Lots of people like to make resolutions for the New Year—tasks to accomplish, habits to break, lifestyle changes to make. Making a realistic list of New Year’s resolutions isn’t a bad idea. If you want to make some changes in your life in 2008, here are some resources that can help:

• The main problem with New Year’s resolutions is that they’re much easier to make than to keep. Max Frazier offers some advice on making New Year’s resolutions that will achieve results.
• Getting back on track financially has got to be one of the most common resolutions people make—and it’s also one of the toughest to keep. Cindy Sumner shares some ideas for making a financial fresh start that might be helpful. And if you really need to step back and get your financial situation in order, there’s a great series of practical essays about Christians and personal finance by Ray Porter.
• Do your New Year’s goals seem way too big to be achievable? Consider breaking them down into smaller, more accomplishable goals. Blaine Smith has some encouraging words about the importance of small beginnings when setting goals for yourself.
• The Back to the Bible radio program spent a week talking about five words of resolution for the New Year. (Link goes to the first day of the discussion.) Their conversations offer a lot of good insights into making personal resolutions that will truly accomplish something for you and your spiritual life.

Tomorrow we’ll point out some useful resources for another popular New Year’s resolution—reading through the Bible in 2008!

It’s finally here! Christmas Day—one of the few days of the year that the shopping malls stand empty and the roads and highways are (relatively) quiet.

Christmas is different than every other day of the year, and no matter how commercialized the holiday seems to get, when December 25 actually arrives, it puts a temporary hush on even the busiest, most hectic lifestyle. Much of the world may not believe in Jesus Christ or the miraculous birth that Christmas celebrates, but still the holy invitation to know peace and joy filters through even the most materialistic culture.

This Christmas, do you know peace and joy? The peace that Christ offers runs much deeper than the thrill of getting a few extra days off of work for the holidays, or the fun of Christmas parties and family get-togethers. The world slows down and scrabbles for a bit of that peace every year on December 25, but the peace of Jesus is something you can experience every day of the year, even long after the presents are forgotten and the Christmas trees hauled off.

Maybe you’re looking for a peace of heart that persists beyond December 25. Or maybe you’ve looked around at your life and not found much to by joyful about this Christmas. This Christmas, take a step toward lasting peace—read the original story of Christmas, familiar as it may be; read about the baby born on this day thousands of years ago, and think about what it all means for you today.

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve spent the last month working frantically to wrap up work and business before the year’s end, or if you’ve spent every day of December in quiet spiritual meditation. Today is a day to celebrate, to ponder the birth of Christ, and to rejoice at the good news his birth proclaims. From everyone here at Gospel.com, we wish you a blessed Christmas Day. May the peace and joy of Christ touch your heart, no matter how clean or ugly your life feels. Today,

“the people living in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of the shadow of death
a light has dawned.” —Matthew 4:16

Say “Christmas Eve” to me and I think meatballs. Mounds of delicious Swedish meatballs.

I also think of this hazy peaceful feeling that seems to crop up only on Christmas Eve, possibly due to the aforementioned meatballs. And then there’s singing Christmas carols in church whilst holding candles (all while failing to avoid the hot wax that has never been stopped by those silly little paper circle dresses).

Oh, and goodwill. I feel lots of goodwill on Christmas Eve.
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Each week, Past the Popcorn offers a thorough look at the latest round of films opening on big screens.

Drawing a lot of attention as an “abortion issues” movie, Juno is much more than that, says Greg Wright. “What the film is really about is one young woman’s desperate need to believe in true love, and her own rocky path in search of that ideal.” Almost as idealistic as Disney’s Enchanted, Juno nonetheless depicts all the messy complications of being responsible for one’s choices.

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Here are a few Christmas articles and resources for you on this last Friday before Christmas.

First, two articles from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries:

The Silence of Christmas by Ravi Zacharias begins with a look on how perceptions of Christmas have changed in the United States.

The Mission of Christmas is a Christmas reflection by Betsy Childs

And from Winning at Home with Dan Seaborn:

An article about giving gifts like time and affection titled, Giving what you Can’t Wrap.

Family at Home is an article about difficult family relationships and how Christmas often exacerbates tensions.

A fun movie from Youth Ministry Exchange:

This video shows 100 Crying Children with Santa in ten minutes. They’ve prepared this as a free resource. Check out the link for more information.

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”