TwelveTwelve: The Leader Blog of North Wake Church

Read: Luke 1:57-80 If you do a google search for “Are we replaceable?” you will find article after article battling out two points of view. One line of thought states that there is no way you are replaceable, and one says you are completely replaceable. The debate seems to be focused on whether it is a good thing or a bad thing to be replaceable. Some claim that being replaceable is empowering, and others say that it is a detriment to our view of ourselves and others. These types of arguments can leave us as individuals wondering if we have a place in this world–maybe

Read: Luke 1:26-56 The Holy Spirit has been called the "shy member of the trinity" because he focuses his attention not on himself but on Jesus, the Messiah. The Holy Spirit was the answer when Mary asked how she would conceive a baby without a man! God's messenger told her God's Spirit would act in her body to bring about Jesus's conception without a man's involvement. But the Holy Spirit had already been active: Mary's cousin, Elizabeth, and her husband, Zechariah, were expecting a baby filled with the Spirit from the womb. And sure enough, when Mary visited Elizabeth,

Photo by Tessa Rampersad on Unsplash Read:  Luke 1:1-25 "Certainty" is a great word.  Yet certainty is certainly hard to find. In recent days I have come across reports of two general elections, in Sweden and Brazil, through different news feeds, newspapers or TV channels.  It is astonishing what very different stories these sources tell, depending on the particular angle with which each wants to spin their account.  Maybe you share my frustration.  You want to know what actually happened, with fair reporting and balanced assessment, but somehow everyone has their own spin on things, and you flounder in a world of fake

Photo by Alexas_Fotos on Unsplash I am walking my dog. Her nose slides along the ground, sucking like a vacuum, ingesting every delicious smell. She stops at a hole, burying her snout deep into the ground.  It’s the same hole we stopped at yesterday. She stops at a tall, feathery bunch of grass and scans several individual blades thoroughly. It’s the same grassy spot we stopped at yesterday. She takes this walk at least twice a day. But every time, the smells are overwhelming for her, engulfing, delightful, and still worth stopping for. Often, I tug at her leash in impatience.

Photo by Elena Mozhvilo on Unsplash On a rainy November morning Allen and Jean Hitchcock arrived at my office to work through their financial problems in an attempt to save their marriage.   Allen and Jean were Christians, but they had never been exposed to the Bible's perspective on money and possessions.  They appreciated their beautiful two-story brick house in suburban Orlando, their two late-model automobiles, and their other possessions.  Both felt that they had worked hard for what they had and that they had earned the right to enjoy the "good life."  However, after financial pressures threatened their standard of living, their lack of

Photo by Juliana Kozoski on Unsplash God's desire from the beginning has been relationship with all people all over the earth.  He told Abram he would bless the people of the world through his family. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (From Genesis 12:3)  God promised a servant who would bring rescue to the whole world. He says, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and

From https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/genuine-conversion Obviously, we cannot live a life of gratitude for our salvation if we have not been saved. First we must be converted—the Spirit must change our hearts, and we must hear and respond in faith to the gospel (Rom. 8:29–30). Jesus atoned for the sins of His people on the cross, but the benefits of this atonement do not become real in our experience until our conversion. Scripture teaches, as the Heidelberg Catechism demonstrates (Q&A 86–87), that conversion is necessary to experience the blessings of Christ's work and to do good works of gratitude. Therefore, we must

Photo by CRISTIANO DE ASSUNÇÃO on Unsplash Greater Love Has No One It’s the night before the crucifixion, and Jesus is teaching His disciples: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” –John 15:12-13 I imagine, clueless as they tended to be, that the disciples nodded knowingly.  “We do that,” they thought.  “Pass out some bread.  Heal the sick.  Forgive a debt or two.  No problem.”  Maybe they thought “laying down one’s life” was metaphorical:  staying up late with someone sick or giving

Photo by Christine Caswell on Unsplash   The past few days our family has been at a little house on a lake. We have enjoyed many activities, but one of our favorites has been fishing off the dock. The water here is amazingly clear, so if fish are in the shallows, they are easily spotted. Once we spot one, we can tell those fishing where to cast their hook. But as the water gets deeper, there is no chance of seeing the fish if they aren't right on top, and once you pass the shallows, there is no way