John 1:9

"John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was..."

"The one who is the true light [Jesus Christ], who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He came into the very world he created, but...."

"Dear Child of God, The fifty days between My resurrection and Pentecost were important. I appeared to My closest disciples on several occasions, and...."

Mary's simple life was about to come to a dramatic end! Phil Ware finishes the year 2012 with two powerful posts or articles about Jesus' birth and the people gathered around him, and emphasizes that God's greatest beginnings are found in hard endings.

Can we really break the code? While there is much ado about the Da Vinci code, the real proof of Christianity's vitality and truth to the younger generation will be seen our living of the truth of Jesus.

Why do we love the darkness so much? Phil Ware continues his series on Jesus, I AM, and his claim to be God with us, who brings light into our lives.

What are we supposed to do about Christmas? Knowing what to do about the birth of Jesus is quite a dilemma, however, we do need to acknowledge he was born and respond appropriately.

"Dear Disciple, I love the way My beloved disciple you know as John describes My coming to earth: "The Voice took on flesh and became human and chose...."

"Dear Follower, I came into the world as the Light of the World. That means I came to bring true light. So much light around you is dim and full of..."

In the middle of our grief, loss, and brokenness, we must remember that we are not alone in our brokenness. Phil Ware reminds us that God shares our pain in our worst moments of grief and loss, God is heartbroken with us.

What else can you say, but thank you? Phil Ware shares a collection of Scriptures that talk about the significance of Jesus' birth.

"Dear Disciple, In the verses below, I want you to notice a few things about the ongoing contentious dealings I had with the religious leaders. They....."

In a year of trouble, sorrow, isolation, and loss, our prayer is that you can experience the presence of Immanuel in your life! Phil Ware shares the Heartlight.org and VerseoftheDay.com Christmas prayer with all their readers.

Show me, I'm tired of just hearing talk! Phil Ware continues his C2K or church to Kingdom series emphasizing that our message must be lived, displayed, and demonstrated and not just spoken.

How can God know experientially how hard life can sometimes be for us? James Nored and Phil Ware remind us to push past the glittering lights and see that God came to be one of us in the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus didn't come to earth to be protected from life's harshest realities, but entered into mortality to share it all with us — the good, the bad, the ugly, and the painful! James and Phil continue their series on The Story of Redemption by focusing on the birth of Jesus and what it means for us.