The Problem: Fear Remember when we were young. (I’ll wait as some of you rewind the ol’ memory banks.) We were fearless. We would take dares and accept challenges to do some really dumb and dangerous stuff, without any thought. That was the problem; we never stopped to think.  If we hesitated, our friends would think we were “chicken.” We would have an imaginary yellow stripe superimposed down our back, a fate worse than death. “What’s the matter, Vitalle, are you too scared

Between student loans that have been around longer than our favorite bands, the endless game of credit-card roulette, and mortgage rates going haywire, it’s a wonder any of us sleep. Tums might settle your stomach, but they do nothing for the agita (Italian slang for heartburn) in your checking account. Everything we think we want in life seems to have a hefty price tag, and the more we like it, the more zeros "magically" appear.

If you’ve been in a church on Christmas Eve, you’ve heard the words. They’re as much a part of the season as carols and candlelight. An angel, appearing to shepherds watching their flocks, announces the birth of a Savior, and is suddenly joined by a heavenly host, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

This isn’t about Christians being better than anyone else. In fact, it’s the opposite. The core of the faith is admitting you can’t save yourself. As Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” The Christian claim isn’t an arrogant declaration of our own righteousness, but a humble acceptance of a gift we could never earn.

The theological and collective term for these amazing gifts is “charismata.” It’s the plural form of the Greek word “charisma,” which means “gift of grace” or “free gift.” It’s where the word charisma comes from. Whether we know it or not, the nature of these gifts contributes to our charm and personality. And we are supposed to use them to build up the “whole body of Christ,” His church on Earth. These spiritual gifts are “mission-critical” devices. The better we understand

The Problem: Loneliness ~ 1 Peter 2:9 But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of God's own possession, that...