Vittorio Ristorante & Pizzeria was a quaint, family-owned neighborhood eatery tucked just off Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades. When my wife and I visited Los Angeles to see our daughter, our trip wasn’t complete without a visit to Vittorio’s.

Do you consider yourself a happy person? If you had to complete the following sentence, “I would be most happy if ________,” how would you fill in the blank?

Recently while listening to an old Gospel hymn, I realized how wonderful I felt in knowing Christ as my Savior. And it caused me to start thinking how much I pitied people today who are unbelievers. I pity them for the sheer joy they miss on earth by not believing in God.

Most of us have an annual check-up with our doctor.  This is important and part of staying healthy and catching potential health concerns early.  Every year, my doctor orders bloodwork and conducts a full physical. 

Edith Lovejoy Pierce said, “We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity, and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”

On January 13, the Georgia General Assembly will convene for its 2025 legislative session. Having been down at the Capitol for 18 years, I am looking forward to my 12th year representing Georgia Baptists on social and moral issues facing our state.

Sunday morning, I preached an expository sermon from 1 Peter on living as resident foreigners and enduring hardships for the sake of Christ. I began by leading our congregation in prayer for persecuted believers in Sudan.

Recently, I was marveling at the scientific advances in technology that affect all of us today. And I realized that these things emphasize our modern way of life to the extent that one is tempted to think that this is all there is.

January always brings snow and ice unless you live in the most southern part of the United States. Even then, you aren’t guaranteed to escape January without some harsh weather. 

When I first got here as a missionary, I learned that people wouldn’t whistle because they fear that might summon a demon. They wouldn’t clean their homes at night because they believe that might upset demons. They live terrified of evil spirits.

“The older you get, the faster the time goes.” Those were the words of my grandmother at the beginning of a new year when I was just a boy.

A new year is transition. The date changes. Some of us will mess up writing a check a time or two because we’ll write 2024 until it finally sinks in that we are in a new year. 

Should Christians make New Year’s resolutions? While no such biblical requirement is explicit, Scripture does admonish us to contemplate our lives and commit them to the Lord (Prov 16:9). We are told to set our minds on things above (Col. 3:2) and to put our immoralities to death (Col. 3:5) while pursuing compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Col. 3:12).

PLAINS, Ga. — Georgia’s most visible and influential citizen has died at age 100. Jimmy Carter lived a long, full, and meaningful life. He will be missed by people all over the world. His accomplishments since his presidency have perhaps been even more significant than what he accomplished while in the White House.

A man brought to Jesus his daughter who “had an unclean spirit.” Jesus told the man, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23). The child’s father tearfully cried out to Christ, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24).

As a new year unfolds, take a moment to reflect on these words from Paul, “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13 NASB). Dividing that verse into thirds, take a moment to focus on the following.

Regardless of how enjoyable or exasperating Christmas shopping may be for you, the delight one feels when observing the recipient open their present is irreplaceable. The true reward, however, is the opportunity to select a gift that accurately expresses your love for the recipient.

After Jesus healed a blind man and fed thousands of people with little food, He asked his disciples, “Who do men say that I am?” (Mark 8:27). They gave various answers and then Jesus asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29).

I recently received a text message from a dear Georgia Baptist pastor friend who indicated that his son who was once an avowed conservative, announced that he was an atheist, embracing a leftist ideology and exclaiming, “I can no longer pretend that I don’t care about something that I do care about. I will no longer be in touch.”

No story can match the Christmas story.  Mary was just an ordinary girl but she was special in the eyes of God. She was someone God knew he could choose to enter the world as the baby Jesus. Mary and husband to be Joseph followed the leadership of God and were willing vessels to be used of God. 

One of the things I enjoy most about Christmas is the old movies that help put me in the seasonal spirit. And though there are many I like, my all-time favorite is Holiday Inn, starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. The best part about the film is the music, composed by Irving Berlin.

The United States is a representative republic. This means that our government exists to protect and represent the interests of the people. Officials are elected to office based on their beliefs and policy positions when they run for office.

In 1925, the Southern Baptist Convention convened in Memphis, Tenn. At that momentous meeting, messengers made two decisions with far-reaching consequences. First, they adopted the Baptist Faith and Message. Second, they launched the Cooperative Program as a unified funding strategy for Southern Baptist ministries. In remarks to the SBC Executive Committee earlier this year, SBC President Clint Pressley rightly referred to the Baptist Faith and Message and the Cooperative Program as the “two rails” of the Southern Baptist Convention.

A century ago, the famed Christian apologist G.K. Chesterton lamented, “The world will never starve for want of wonders, but only for want of wonder.”  Indeed. Astonishing realities, even miracles, are all around us, but our recognition of and appreciation for the admirable is often lacking. Such is the case with the familiar details of Christmas.

How’s your Christmas shopping going? Need some suggestions? Neiman-Marcus, the luxury department store, has some “extraordinary gifts” listed on their website for those searching for last-minute ideas.