Every great story has a villain. And, I would argue, every great story has a great villain (in the sense that they are cunning, powerful and evil). The Christmas story is no different.

We spend a lot of time talking about Mary and Joseph, the wise men, and the shepherds, but what about the villain–Herod? And did you know there are several Herods in the Bible and not just one? In this sermon, I reviewed the historical and Scriptural references to these “Christmas Villains” (the Herods), the key lessons from their lives and how they, in a counterintuitive way, point to the one, true King.

Here’s a list of the important Herods: (1) Herod the Great was the key figure in the Christmas story that killed the babies in Bethlehem, (2) Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great that killed John the Baptist and earned a reprimand from Christ, (3) Herod Agrippa I was the grandson of Herod the Great that arrested Peter and was eaten of worms, and (4) Herod Agrippa II was the great-grandson of Herod the Great that conversed with Paul and almost became a Christian.

Here’s a family tree:

Here’s the Outline:

1. The Monarch in the Manger
2. The Fox and the Lion
3. At Terms with the Worms
4. The Gospel to the Great

And some key takeaways:

• An explanation of the varying levels of government at the time of Christ.
• What Jesus meant when He called Herod Antipas a “fox.”
• The remarkable family history that both Paul and Agrippa knew during Paul’s sermon in Acts 26. This perspective completely changed the way I read that passage.
• Though the Herods were royally messed up, they weren’t the actual Christmas villains. I explain why.

2025 has been a somber year with a rise in politically motivated violence–including the public assassination of Charlie Kirk–and heightened tensions and conflict around the world. 2025 has also been an encouraging year with a comeback of creation order (i.e., women’s sports and the Skrmetti case allowing states to take cross-sex hormones and transition surgeries off the medical menu for minors), a renewed opportunity for and interest in church-state partnership, and the sparks of spiritual renewal. Here are five lessons from 2025.

Key Sources/Interviews:

• Os Guinness – Our Civilizational Moment: The Waning of the West and the War of the Worlds
• Indiana State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla – The National Debt Crisis and How to Respond
• Birjan Crispin – Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and Christian Citizenship
• Tim Goeglein – Stumbling Toward Utopia: How the 1960s Turned Into a National Nightmare and How We Can Revive the American Dream
• Andrew Walker – What Do I Say When
• Pastors and Politics; Review of Key 2025 SCOTUS Decisions
• Pew – Religion Holds Stead in America
• National Debt Clock

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In this episode, I share seven key lessons I learned while completing a verse-by-verse study of the book of Acts. Also, Professor Sean O’Neill joins me for an interview-style discussion on the reliability of the book of Acts (and the New Testament generally), including the accuracy of official/government titles recounted by Luke; the interplay between Herod and Rome; Paul’s Roman citizenship, and the incredible details of Paul’s sea voyage in Acts 27. This Christmas (and all year round), we can be confident that our faith is rooted in real people and real places. And we can know that God‘s Word is a sure foundation for our lives and families.

Big Idea for the Series: The early church carried the gospel throughout the known world in approximately 30 years and transformed an empire in 3 centuries. Now the church seems intimidated, uncertain amidst swift cultural changes. So, what did the early Christians, commanded by Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, do that we are not doing? Here are their Acts, and may they inspire our own.

Here are some of Professor O’Neill’s credentials:

• Bachelors, University of Michigan; — Masters and PhD, University of Cincinnati – Bronze age archeology. Egypt.
• Teaching at Hanover College since 2011 in the Dept. of Classical Studies (focusing on the archaeology, language, literature, and history of the Ancient Mediterranean world).
• Published scholarship on topics ranging from the archaeological site of Troy to the art and archaeology of Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt.
• Ancient Language and Literature studies have included working on (and teaching) texts in Latin, Greek, Aramaic, Hebrew, Hieroglyphic Egyptian, and Demotic Egyptian.
• Can read and write 11 languages.

Key Lessons:

1. Christ is King.
2. We have Holy Spirit Power.
3. Don’t Do Ministry Alone.
4. The Gospel is for All People.
5. Expect Persecution.
6. The Church is God’s Plan A.
7. The Word does the Work.

*Correction Notice: Professor O’Neill mentioned that detractors of the book of Acts hypothesize that the book was written in the 4th and early 5th centuries. He reached out to us later and asked us to included a correction: detractors of the book of Acts hypothesize that the book was written in the 3rd and early 4th centuries.

Click Here to Watch on YouTube

One of the greatest paradoxes in American life is a Thursday dedicated to quiet gratitude followed by a Friday dedicated to a frenzied pursuit of more. In the midst of a mental health crisis and a quickly changing world, Scripture calls us to an often forgotten, daily practice that demands attention more than one day a year. Here’s why gratitude is the secret ingredient to greatness and how to practice it in your life and sphere of influence.

• It’s not an option.
• It prevents Friday frenzy.
• It’s the secret sauce.
• It comes in daily doses.

Key Takeaways:

• “The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.” ~H.U. Westermayer
• Great question from Michael Hyatt, “What does this make possible?”
• Practical ideas for practicing gratitude.
• You learn what you need to learn and you change what you need to change to do what you want to do.
• Lessons from Victor Frankel, Corrie Ten Boom, and Winston Churchill.

I spent several days last week touring Holocaust sites in Poland with a group from Christians United for Israel. Especially since Oct. 7th and the concerning rise of antisemitism in the US, Holocaust sites such as Auschwitz are a somber and moving reminder of hatred and murder on an industrialized scale and the remarkable resilience of the Jewish people. Many are familiar with the scale of the Holocaust, and it is difficult to grasp the murder of 6 million human beings. A few specific stories helped highlight the deep evil and horror of what happened, including:

• -the graves of appr. 800 children in the Buczyna forest, dropped from truck beds (while alive) into a mass grave and killed with grenades and machine guns. This was in keeping with Hitler’s command to “take care of the children” first, and approximately 1.5 million of the victims of the Holocaust were children.
• a bathtub in a private bath built by a Nazi officer in the crematorium at the Majdanek death camp, meaning he heated his water with the flames fueled by the bodies of victims.
• allied troops finding 2 tons of human hair cut from victims for use in German industry, meaning the hair of at least 40,000 women. Some was still in braids in the display at Auschwitz.
• picture taken by the Germans at Birkenau to prove the efficiency of the “final solution”–showing confused children and concerned mothers with just minutes to live as they are unknowingly sent to the gas chambers.

In the midst of this soul-wrenching evil, there were stories of incredible resilience:

• sewer drains in the Jewish cemetery in Warsaw used to smuggle food into and escape from the Warsaw Ghetto.
• Halina Barinbaum, a 13-year old girl firsr sent to Majdanek and then Auschwitz. Her mother, father, and brothers were all killed; but she survived, moved to Israel, married, and eventually returned to Majdanek to tell her story and find closure.
• a copy of the moonscape drawing of Peter Gentz, a 14-year old Holocaust victim, has now been carried twice into space.
• our guide was a relative of a Holocaust survivor, and he routinely guides Israeli army units in tours in Poland. The nation of Israel exists despite Hitler’s efforts.

As Justice Jackson said so well in his opening statement at the Nuremberg trials, “The wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant, and so devastating, that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored, because it cannot survive their being repeated.”

Due to the breakdown of the family, tighter government budgets, and positive legal developments, the church currently has a unique if not a once-in-a-generation opportunity to impact their communities and point to Jesus. Will we seize the moment? In this sermon, I draw lessons from the partnership between Pharaoh and Joseph, unpack the current opportunity before the church, and explain practical ways church leaders and other committed Christians can steward this “Joseph Moment” in their communities.

Outline:

1. Government is God’s Idea.
2. God gave Joseph favor.
3. Joseph had authority.
4. God’s Glory and the Common Good.
5. A Joseph Moment or a Moses Moment.

Key Takeaways:

• Link to Good Citizen Project speaking page.
• Explanation of how churches can impact foster care.
• The county-based state transformation model.
• The church-led, state-based national transformation strategy.
• Knowing when and how to serve alongside government and when to confront government.
• How to steward our unique “Joseph Moment.”

Here’s why and how churches should step up during the government shutdown. Yesterday, the administration announced that SNAP benefits will be partially funded as the government shutdown continues (though there is some speculation the shutdown could end as early as tomorrow after the election). Many churches have stepped up efforts to supply food pantries and connect with their communities during this uncertainty. As with any ministry and opportunity, it is important to ask: are these efforts simply meeting an immediate need (which is certainly important short-term) or are they part of a broader, effective community hub strategy that leads to evangelistic conversations and life transformation? In this conversation with Merlin Gonzales from Faith, Hope, and Love, Merlin shares his story and explains how to effectively serve our neighbors’ spiritual and physical needs.