PaulStiver.com

Photo by Jamie MacPherson on Unsplash Everyday that we walk this earth, we are in the middle of an identity crisis. We are always looking for those things that define us. "What is it about me that makes me, me?"   Quite often, we are looking for those things to boast about in our identity that make us better than other people. We aren't just trying to know ourselves better, but we are seeking to self-justify. We are trying to find our identity in things that make us feel okay. ---- Consider these boasts that I used to have in my life before knowing Christ: - I'm a better worker than others, I put so much effort into my job, I care more than those other people. - I am smarter than those religious "morons," because I am clear-headed enough to realize that faith is stupid and there is no God. We should only live our lives based on facts. I get it, those idiots don't. - I haven't gotten into as much trouble as other people because I ma...

Photo by  Kirstyn Paynter  on  Unsplash I hope these quotes, song lyrics, verses and anecdote about the birth of Jesus & the celebration of Christmas will edify you this Christmas season!  "Joseph and Mary capsulized the mystery of grace -- the King does not come to the proud and powerful, but to the poor and powerless." - Kent Hughes "The Son of God was born into the world not as a prince but as a pauper. We must never forget that this is where Christianity began and where it always begins -- with a sense of need, a graced sense of one's insufficiency. Christ, himself setting the example, comes to the needy. He is born only in those who are "poor in spirit." - Kent Hughes "Christmas Eve is like the calm before the storm. The storm is God breaking into His creation to redeem it, unexpectedly as a baby." - Tim Keller "Christmas is telling you that you could never get to heaven on your own. God had to come to you." -...

Photo by  Ben White  on  Unsplash It's the Christmas season, which means we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. But why? Jesus came into the world to save sinners by revealing God's grace to us. In the spirit of the Christmas season, let's look at God's gift of grace in Christ Jesus. What is grace? J.I. Packer - Knowing God: [Grace is...] God’s love in action towards [people] who merited the opposite of love. Grace means God moving heaven and earth to save sinners who could not lift a finger to save themselves. Grace means God sending His only Son to descend into hell on the cross so that we guilty ones might be reconciled to God and received into heaven. (p. 226, emphasis mine) God's gift of grace is fully revealed in Christ Jesus.  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth . (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was h...

Photo by  freestocks.org  on  Unsplash Hey! I'd love to hear feedback from you. Please take 2 minutes to fill out this survey! Now let's celebrate because it's been 1 Year of PaulStiver.com! My blog is officially a baby! A Year In Review Fun statistics: Total Published Posts: 86 Total Pageviews: 6,298 Most Read Post: Life Update! 474 pageviews (Allison has made it clear to me that headline might have been misleading and caused people to think we were having a baby! OOPS!) Least Read Post: What is Just? 14 pageviews MY Favorite Blog Post: I really liked writing them all! But I'll say Fast Car , which tells mine and Allison's story and talks about the merits of unconditional vs. conditional love.  Looking back on the mission of PaulStiver.com: 1) An Ambassador for Christ As I look back on the mission for why I started this blog, it was to further my work as an ambassador for Christ. I highlighted in my very first post that God saves sinn...

It's Christmas time, which means Christmas music. I have to admit, I don't particularly care for Christmas music, especially when people start playing it in September! There is one song we sing for worship each advent that particularly gets me, however. The song, O Holy Night, gets to me each Christmas season. For example,  Jennifer Hudson's O Holy Night , linked here is a beautiful rendition that I really enjoy. One part of the lyrics stands out to me in particular: O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,  It is the night of the dear Savior's birth.  Long lay the world in sin and error pining.  Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.  A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,  For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.  Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!  O night divine, the night when Christ was born;  O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!  O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!...

Last Thursday was Thanksgiving. It is a time to come together with family, argue about politics, eat too much food, take a nap, watch average football games, and then go shopping. It is also a time for us to pause and be thankful. I admit this is hard for me. We live in a busy world, and it is hard to pause and take time to reflect on all that we have and all we can be thankful for. Recently, I saw this published study (-  ARTICLE  -)  and found it very interesting. The particular data that caught my eye was looking at people who label themselves as "Non-Christians," and what they said are the essential factors that make someone a 'moral person.' The initial statement on the left precedes the qualifier of the phrase  is "essential" to what being a moral person means to them.  What do "non-Christians" think is essential to be a moral person? Being grateful for what you have , among all non-Christians, came in at 56%, or second place ...

Photo by  Thomas Kelley  on  Unsplash "My phone died." I never say, "My phone is out of power," but I say, "My phone died." It's not outta juice, Paul? You don't just need to plug it in, Paul? It died? I'll never understand why I say that my phone died when it runs out of power, but I'm also not going to stop phrasing it that way. I know it just needs to get plugged in, that it isn't actually dead. It's just the way I say it, and I don't think that makes me more weird than I already am. We do have a definite attachment to how charged our devices are. I keep the little percentage sign showing at all times, so I know just how much battery I have left. And I'm always aware of where the nearest outlet is. Far be it from me that I would have my phone be rendered powerless, and not have an outlet nearby with my charger, so that I could revive it! If I'm being honest, I know there are parts of my life that need to...

One of the challenges facing our society today is that we seem to be growing toward polarization. Our differences are highlighted to extremes, especially on social media. When we come across those we disagree with, it can be easy to dehumanize them. We start to see people as "other," or "less than." We start to treat them as unworthy to voice an opinion or to express themselves in a certain way. How should we determine someone's worth? The Gospel of Luke gives us this interesting scene: After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us o...