Most significant truth. You cannot build a strong family on effort alone. God has to lead it. When God builds your home, your family grows the right way.

You dedicate your family by making three choices. You let God lead your home. You stop fighting His plan and trust Him. You value what God values. People matter more than success. Your spouse and kids matter more than work and money. You follow God’s plan for your kids. You guide them. You shape them. You point them toward God. Then you let them go.

Action. Ask who is leading your family. Check where your time goes. Choose God’s way over control.

Change happens through dedication, not decisions. God works when you give consent and follow with cooperation.

Resolutions fail because motivation fades. Dedication lasts because it leads to action. Jesus invites you to follow Him. That invitation starts with consent. Real change comes through cooperation. You deny yourself. You grow over time. Calling follows obedience. The question is simple. Where are you. Consent. Cooperation. Or ready for the call.

Now What? Stop trusting resolutions. Start practicing dedication. Ask what you need to deny in 2026. Ask what you need to return to spiritually. Decide if you have only consented or if you are cooperating. Commit to obedience, not intention.

Welcome our new Student Pastor, Brian Baldwin.

Peace does not come from a calm season. Peace comes from Jesus. When life stays loud, divided, and heavy, real peace stays available through the presence of Christ. Jesus does not remove every storm. He enters the storm with you.

Christmas talks about peace, but stress often wins. The world feels chaotic and personal life feels heavy. The first Christmas looked the same. Political pressure. Fear. Silence from God. Into that mess, Jesus was born and peace was announced. Peace is not the absence of problems. Peace is the presence of Jesus.

Jesus gives three real forms of peace. Peace with God. Sin created separation. Jesus repaired it through the cross. Trust in Him ends the war with God. Peace with yourself. Anxiety and fear lose control when you hand them to Jesus in prayer. His peace guards your heart and mind. Peace with others. Jesus breaks down walls between people. Old grudges, family tension, and division do not get the final word.

Communion reminds you of this truth. Jesus paid for peace with His body and blood. You come to the table as family, not enemies.

Action steps for you Make peace with God today. Surrender fully to Jesus. Name what is shaking your heart. Pray honestly and hand it over. Make the first move with others. Forgive. Apologize. Lower your guard. Come to the table with a clean heart. Confess sin. Release anxiety. Choose unity.

Real joy does not come from gifts or circumstances. It comes from your relationship with Jesus and the people around you. Happiness fades. Joy lasts. This message shows you where joy starts, what steals it, and how to refocus your life on what brings lasting joy at Christmas and beyond.

Simple action steps for you. • Check your focus. Ask what you stare at most this season. Loss or grace. • Heal relationships. Ask if being right matters more than love. • Reorder priorities. Spend more effort on Jesus and people than on decorations and gifts. • Give yourself away. Serve. Encourage. Forgive. Show up. • Stay connected to Jesus. Abide in His love daily. Obedience follows love.

You live in a world that feels dark and unstable. Advent tells you something simple. Hope came. Hope is here. Hope is coming again. Isaiah spoke to people who felt afraid and worn out. God answered with a promise. A child would come. A Savior would reign. Light would break through.

Three truths rise from Isaiah 9.

Truth 1 Hope shines strongest when life feels dark. Darkness does not win. Jesus brings light into your fear, stress, and pain.

Truth 2 Hope is a person. Not a feeling. Feelings shift. Jesus stays steady. He guides you, strengthens you, and gives peace.

Truth 3 Hope lasts because Jesus reigns forever. Earthly leaders and systems fail. His rule never ends. His promises stand.

Your next step Slow down. Read the Advent Guide. Pray with your family. Tell Jesus where you feel the darkness pressing in. Hold onto the Savior who holds onto you.

Your family gave you more than your looks. They gave you habits. Some help you. Some hurt you. You pass those habits to your kids unless you stop them. You stop them by following Jesus. Someone has to say it stops now. Israel forgot God. They lived like the people around them for hundreds of years. Their kids grew up not knowing who God was. That is what happens when you drift. Old habits take over. Change takes time, work, and a new way of thinking.

God told Israel what to do. Follow me and life will go well. Your choices shape your family. If you change your life, you change your children. You need to name the baggage you were handed. Bring it to Jesus. He breaks old patterns and helps you build a new path.

Deuteronomy 6 gives a simple plan. • Do what God says. Your kids watch more than they listen. • Love God. Obedience proves it. • Talk about God in normal moments. • Make your faith visible. • Stay alert when life is good so you do not forget Him. Start with your own life. When you change, your kids have a better chance to change too.

We’ve all watched someone we love fall apart and felt helpless to stop it. 2 Samuel 12 shows us how to love people enough to tell them the truth, even when they don’t want to hear it.

Main truth: Love without truth isn’t love. Truth without love isn’t heard.

Here’s what God teaches us: · Go to God first. Ask if He wants you to step in. Don’t react out of emotion. · Lead with grace. Nathan told a story instead of attacking. Grace opens hearts. · Speak with courage. Real love says the hard thing even when it’s uncomfortable. · Point them to God. Don’t shame them. Remind them who God is and what He offers. · Let God handle the rest. You can speak truth, but only God can change a heart.

Nathan’s story points to Jesus, who tells us the truth about our sin and then forgives us with grace.

Your job isn’t to fix people. Love them, speak truth, and trust God to do what you can’t.

Action step: Pray first. Speak with love. Leave the results to God.