Have you ever been left out, missed the cut, failed to make the team or been laid off? Without power, money, talent or good looks our culture often has no room for us. You know the same thing happened to Jesus .. when he was born there was no room in the inn.

God brings interesting situations into our lives so we can “find” Him. The story of the Magi, or Wise Men, and their determined but difficult trip to find Jesus has some interesting parallels for our own lives.

“Upward mobility” is the swan song of this age, yet Jesus’ birth was just the opposite. It’s the story of “downward mobility.” Jesus humbled himself, taking the very nature of a servant. Why? Was it for him or was it for us?

King Herod organized the first opposition to Jesus, trying to kill him when he was only a baby. Herod reminds us that God sent his Son into a world that didn’t really want him. How many of us are influenced by the same spirit that influenced Herod?

If you knew that a gift would bring you great joy but also some hardships, would you accept it? Greg talks about Mary’s response to the Angel Gabriel’s announcement that she would be the mother of God and that God has offered us an incredible gift.

Christianity is a career — it’s a profession. You can’t turn Christianity off and on. You either are a Christian or you are not. Join Greg as he talks about the hallmarks of being a Christian — about our Christian credentials.

Is God unfair? Why does He allow so much suffering, any suffering? The birth of Jesus, the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world, has so much to tell us about all of the suffering in today’s world. His birth brings meaning to our own lives of hurt and pain.

From the very beginning before the boundaries of our physical lives, time and space — before planet earth — before all that we know — Jesus’ birth as the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world was determined.

What about most of the time when God isn’t obvious in a burning bush or pillar of fire? Listen today as Greg examines a book of the Bible where God’s name is not mentioned once even though he’s acting powerfully in the background.

God has already visited this earth! And many religious people were not happy when he did so the first time.

Many who’ve said, “God is dead” are themselves dead while God lives on. Could it be that God has already spoken and doesn’t need to repeat himself? Is the reason we don’t hear him because he’s saying things we don’t want to hear?

Moral values and absolutes are not fashionable today but moral relativism is. Yet, when we think about foundations words such as “concrete” and “bedrock” come to mind. Upon what foundations is your life based?

Thanksgiving sneaks up on people and presents a unique dilemma: though united in celebrating Thanksgiving there is much disagreement about giving thanks and to whom to give it.

Thanksgiving is a time for Christians in particular to pause and reflect. Greg talks about Christian gratitude — a kind of gratitude that transcends normal human appreciation — that reaches beyond materialistic and surface happiness into a deeper and more profound spiritual joy.

Have we forgotten the blessings we’ve been given and the God who makes them possible? Thanksgiving is rooted in the gratitude we have to God because he is the giver of every good and perfect gift.

Thanksgiving is not just a national holiday — it’s an important part of being a Christian. When we truly understand the reasons for being thankful, we can’t stop ourselves from expressing our appreciation to God.

Are you just barely getting by as a Christian? Do you feel you’re swimming upstream? Greg uses cockroachs, squirrels and eagles as analogies of three levels of Christianity.

The Bible clearly identifies sin as a mortal enemy. But there is another enemy, a very subtle enemy, which poses as the solution for sin by promising to deliver us from it by our own efforts.

Science tells us we are blobs of protoplasm. Psychology likens us to rats running through a maze. But who are we, and what does God expect of us? Greg discusses both what God does not expect and what he does expect from us.

There’s a line in the musical “Cats” from T.S. Elliot which says, “We had the experience but we missed the meaning.” Does that describe your life? Greg talks about spiritual maturity and how to avoid missing the meaning of our experiences.

Many historians believe that the 21st century started on September 11, 2001, when murder and mayhem rained down on America. We live in a time of fear and trouble. What encouragement does the Bible offer? Greg talks about our certain security when trouble comes.

Mortality has its way — we age, strength ebbs, self assurance fades, we sense how temporary this life is and begin to focus on eternity. God told Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

Grace is totally unmerited pardon. It is forgiveness of our sins no matter what we have done — it can’t be earned in any way. But what is life like after that? How then should we live?

Jesus changed water into wine. It was the best wine and it was saved for last. People have been trying to reverse the process and change wine into water ever since. Why is the story of this miracle in the Bible? What should we learn from it?

Jesus came to save us from religion, the belief that if we work hard and long enough God will like us — that we must obtain salvation through our own efforts. Religion is one reason Christ died on the cross.

It usually starts with a sincere desire to please or appease God. But the result is a cult — a tight, “holy huddle” trying to keep sin on the outside and goodness on the inside. Such isolation leads to weird ideas.

Are you passing on God’s grace? Or, have you accepted God’s grace and are you passing it on to others? Greg examines the parable of the laborers in the vineyard for its lessons about the grace of God.

Greg uses the pale horse in this last program of our four part series, The Four Horsemen of Legalism, to show that legalism produces people who seem to have life but are dead-men-walking. In contrast he talks about the life giving grace God offers us.

This is the third program in our four part series, The Four Horsemen of Legalism, Greg shows how legalism has no life to give — that it only gives bondage and leads to death. He explains that religious and legalistic teachings often become the “gospel” that is proclaimed rather than Jesus.

In this second program of our four part series called The Four Horsemen of Legalism, Greg shows how legalism destroys peace, makes people miserable and distances us from God. If you think you may be involved in legalistic religion, you need to hear this program.

In this first program of a four part series called The Four Horsemen of Legalism, Greg takes a look at the spirit of Anti-Christ — at counterfeit Christianity — at groups and people who fleece the flock rather than feed the flock and use God-talk to deceive and to conquer.

The greatest concern on the typical North American mind is “What’s in it for me?” Why should we be Christians? Jesus’ disciples wanted to know the answer to that very same question. Jesus’ answer is still relevant for us today.

Jesus preached about the kingdom of God continuously, but what is it? Is it solely a future time or is the kingdom already here and we’ve not discovered it.

The ship of our life is much like the Titanic — we’re heading for an iceberg — metaphorically the end of our lives. But there is an out — the good news is that Jesus offers us eternal life. Wouldn’t it make sense to change course?

Many Christians are far more comfortable detached and observing; “watching” rather than “worshiping.” How do you respond to our Lord and Savior? Are you a “watcher” or a “worshiper”?

Jesus tells us that we need to become like little children to inherit the kingdom of God. The Bible also tells us about a time of peace when a little child will lead ferocious animals. What characteristics of little children can we learn from them?

In this last program of our 10-program series on the book of Revelation, Greg talks about Jesus’ conclusion in his Revelation to us, as well as the heritage Jesus offers us in it.

Included in Revelation’s greatest hits is the song in chapter 5, “Worthy Is The Lamb,” and a new song in chapter 15, “The Song of the Lamb,” based on the song of Moses. What is the message of Revelation’s music, and what is this thing called “the Millennium” all about?

Jesus Christ is the divine author, central character and hero of the Book of Revelation, but who are the bad guys? To whom was Revelation originally written and why was it written?

Who are the woman, the dragon, the Antichrist and the beast? Religion has perverted the message of Revelation for almost 2,000 years, but Greg shows how God’s grace cuts through the religious fog and mystery promulgated by misinformed or misdirected teachers.