Jim Graff

Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in His wonderful face And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of His glory and grace The first time I heard these lyrics sung, I was a young Christian. I so desperately wanted to believe what I’d been learning—that God would fulfill His […]

The holiday season can be a magical time, as many of us gather with our families, eat good food, and exchange gifts to celebrate our Savior’s birth. But for some of us, the holidays also bring other, tougher emotions.  In 2018, one study reported that 88 percent of Americans felt stressed during the holidays. Though […]

I love nativity scenes. They’re one of my favorite Christmas traditions for several reasons, but one of the main reasons is that they cause me to think of the various perspectives of the characters represented.  For example, I often think of Joseph. I imagine how he likely felt both awe and trepidation as he considered […]

John Bunyan, a Puritan preacher in the 17th century, became known for standing for truth. The government punished him by throwing him into prison, leaving his wife and six children at home, unprovided for. In his distress, Bunyan sought God, and God responded. He told him to write. Although Bunyan only had a third-grade education, […]

A pastor friend once told me a story, and it has stuck with me ever since. When he was a teenager living on the east coast, he sinned in a way that caused him deep shame.  One day, he took a walk on the beach and sat on the shore. He felt so overcome with […]

In 1977, my high school basketball team raised money by playing donkey basketball. If you aren’t familiar with the concept, donkey basketball is exactly what it sounds like. You play basketball on a donkey. To this day, trying to coerce that donkey to take me toward the right goal was one of my most frustrating […]

Luke 7:36-50 tells one of my favorite stories. In it, Jesus is eating dinner at a Pharisee’s home when a prostitute enters. She kneels in front of Jesus, weeping and worshipping Him by pouring expensive ointment on His feet. The Pharisee looked on in disgust, asking Jesus why He’d allow such a sinner to touch […]

Gallup Research recently reported that of the 67 percent of American adults raised in church, only 31 percent of them are still attending. That’s less than half! This saddened me because I understand how life changing it is to live life within a healthy, caring church community. Being connected to a healthy church is like […]

In a letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, “If today’s church does not recapture the sacrificial spirit of the early church, it will lose its authenticity, forfeit the loyalty of millions, and be dismissed as an irrelevant social club with no meaning for the twentieth century.”  The Book of Acts gives […]

Our lives are significantly marked by firsts. Our first steps, first words, and first day of school. Driving a car for the first time. Our first date with our spouse. The first time we held our first baby in our arms. Their first steps, first words, and first day of school. And the list goes […]