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Be a Hero in 2022
by Dave White
Be a hero in 2022!
Find your purpose in God and make a difference in the lives of others.
Remember, you have been predetermined and predestined for a vital role in the plan and purposes of God.
Some call it Karma or Kismet, Fate or Fortune, but it's not! It's more personal, more powerful, more poignant than that.
We have been purposed for a life of sacred significance.
We have been appointed and assigned by our supreme, sovereign God to be regents and ambassadors of His gospel and grace (Daniel 4:34-35).
And trust me: People need good news, kindness and compassion now more than ever.
God tells us in His Word that "history" is "his story!" And He's been unfolding "his story" for a long time.
Believe or not, your life is intricately woven into His timeless tale. Your story is part of a much bigger story. And you have been ordained to play a heroic role in this larger epic!
You can be a hero by simply doing your part to love your spouse, encourage your children, serve your colleagues, support a friend, start a business and celebrate life. Take your place in God's providential panorama and have a great 2022.
Dave White, PhD, is pastor of The Bridge. thebridgescv.com

Who's in Charge?
by Jack Winkle
Luke wrote, "And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. All went, everyone to his own city."
Think of the power. One man sitting in Rome makes a decree and the whole world must obey. Caesar was so powerful that no one could make their own choices. What is it they say about, "absolute power?"
Obediently, Joseph and Mary made their way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. There, she gave birth to a son, Jesus, and laid Him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn.
I point this out for one reason: Jesus being born in a smelly, dark and dirty stable in a tiny town off the beaten path - Bethlehem - was God's plan, not that guy sitting on a man-made throne in Rome. It was God's plan, not Caesar's.
Jesus, speaking to Pontius Pilate, said this about the authority that Caesar and all earthly rulers have: "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given to you from above." There is no power like the King of Glory.
Jack Winkle is pastor at Calvary Chapel Golden Valley.
calvarychapelgoldenvalley.org