hope

The Purpose of Christmas

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Image generated via AI,

When December rolls around, it’s easy to get swept up in the glittering lights, festive music, and the rush of holiday shopping. While these traditions bring joy and togetherness, the true meaning of Christmas runs much deeper—it’s about love, hope, and the gift of presence over presents.

At its heart, Christmas is a celebration of light breaking into darkness. For Christians, it marks the birth of Jesus Christ, a moment that symbolizes God’s love and the promise of redemption. But even beyond faith traditions, the season carries a universal message: kindness, generosity, and connection matter more than material things.

Christmas invites us to show love in tangible ways—through compassion, forgiveness, and time spent with those who matter most. It’s a reminder that relationships are the real treasures of life.

The story of Christmas is one of hope against all odds. Whether you’re facing personal challenges or global uncertainty, the season whispers that brighter days are ahead.

Gift-giving is beautiful when it reflects thoughtfulness rather than obligation. Sometimes the most meaningful gifts are not bought—they’re shared moments, heartfelt words, or acts of service.

Amid the noise, Christmas offers a chance to slow down, reflect on the year, and realign with what truly matters. It’s a season to let go of grudges and embrace peace.

The true meaning of Christmas isn’t meant to fade when the decorations come down. Carrying its spirit into everyday life—through kindness, gratitude, and empathy—can transform not just the season, but the entire year.

In the end, Christmas is less about what’s under the tree and more about who’s around it. It’s about hearts opening, hands giving, and hope shining brightly, and of course, God’s love in motion that forgives the sins of the world through Jesus.

(I have been experimenting with AI. A good portion of this blog post was written via AI.)

Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

A 911 Story

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A man from Norfolk, Virginia, called a local radio station to share this on Sept 11th, 2003, two years after the tragedies of 9/11/2001. His name was Robert Matthews. These are his words:

A few weeks before Sept. 11th, my wife and I found out we were going to have our first child. She planned a trip out to California to visit her sister. On our way to the airport, we prayed that God would grant my wife a safe trip and be with her. Shortly after I said ‘amen,’ we both heard a loud pop and the car shook violently. We had blown out a tire. I replaced the tire as quickly as I could, but we still missed her flight. Both very upset, we drove home.

I received a call from my father, who had retired from the NYFD. He asked what my wife’s flight number was, but I explained that we missed the flight. My father informed me that her flight was the one that crashed into the southern tower. I was too shocked to speak. My father also had more news for me; he was going to help. “This is not something I can just sit by for; I have to do something.”

I was concerned for his safety, of course, but more because he had never given his life to Christ. After a brief debate, I knew his mind was made up. Before he got off the phone, he said, ‘Take good care of my grandchild.’ Those were the last words I ever heard my father say; he died while helping in the rescue effort.

My joy that my prayer for safety for my wife had been answered quickly became anger. I was angry at God, at my father, and at myself. I had gone for nearly two years blaming God for taking my father away. My son would never know his grandfather, my father had never accepted Christ, and I never got to say goodbye.

Then something happened. About two months ago, I was sitting at home with my wife and my son when there was a knock on the door. I looked at my wife, but I could tell she wasn’t expecting anyone. I opened the door to a couple with a small child.

The man looked at me and asked if my father’s name was Jake Matthews. I told him it was. He quickly grabbed my hand and said, ‘I never got the chance to meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son.’

He explained to me that his wife had worked in the World Trade Center and had been caught inside after the attack. She was pregnant and had been caught under debris. He then explained that my father had been the one to find his wife and free her. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought of my father giving his life for people like this. He then said, ‘There is something else you need to know.’ His wife then told me that as my father worked to free her, she talked to him and led him to Christ. I began sobbing at the news.

Now I know that when I get to Heaven, my father will be standing beside Jesus to welcome me, and that this family will be able to thank him themselves. When their baby boy was born, they named him Jacob Matthew, in honor of the man who gave his life so that a mother and baby could live.

I had permission to repost the above story.
Copyright © 2025 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

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The Christmas song “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” gives the reason, the story, of the birth of Jesus Christ, and the future of his saints.

Come, Thou long expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free; from our fears and sins release us; let us find our rest in Thee. Israel’s strength and consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art; Dear Desire of ev’ry nation, joy of every longing heart.

Joy to those who long to see Thee Day-spring from on high, appear.
Come, Thou promised Rod of Jesse, of Thy birth, we long to hear!
O’er the hills the angels singing news, glad tidings of a birth; “Go to Him your praises bringing Christ the Lord has come to earth!”

Come to earth to taste our sadness, He whose glories knew no end. By His life He brings us gladness, Our redeemer, Shepherd, Friend. Leaving riches without number, born within a cattle stall; this the everlasting wonder, Christ was born the Lord of all.

Born Thy people to deliver, born a child, and yet a King, born to reign in us forever, now Thy gracious kingdom bring. by Thine own eternal Spirit rule in all our hearts alone; by Thine all-sufficient merit raise us to Thy glorious throne.

Come, Thou whom the prophets promised. Thou of whom the canters sing; Come, Emmanuel, God be with us. Thou our Prophet, Priest, and King. Jesus, Thou are all perfection, Thou whose fellowship we crave; Thou the Life and Resurrection, Come redeem us from the grave.

Come, Thou King, receive Thy kingdom; With the angels, split the skies! Come with shouts and trumpets sounding, Bid Thy slumb’ring children rise! Gather in Thine arms so tender Sinners saved through grace alone; Lead us though Thy gates of splendor Unto our eternal home.

Any questions?

Songwriters: Words: Charles Wesley, 1744 (Verses 1 & 4) Mark Hunt, 1978 (Verses 2 & 3) Ann Aschauer 2022 (Verses 5 & 6)

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

If Only

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I have been listening to the same song over and over today, so I decided to share its lyrics. The song is “Christmas at Denny’s” by Randy Stonehill. It is sad and kind of haunting—at least some of the words are.

they got Christmas Muzak
piped in through the ceiling
and the refills of coffee
are always for free
and the waitress on graveyard
and the surly night manager
are wishing that all of us losers would leave

there’s a star on the sign
at the Texaco Station
like the star long ago
on that midnight clear
as I look all around
at these cold, empty faces
I doubt that you’d find many wise men here

and I’m dreaming about
a silent night
holy night
when things were alright
(Chorus)
once I had a home
and a wife and a daughter
had a company job
earning middle-class pay
then Lisa got killed
by a car near the schoolyard
and my wife started drinking
just to get through each day

I will never forget that little red wagon
turning to rust all alone in the rain
one morning I flagged down
a truck on the highway
I just couldn’t bear to go back there again
(Chorus:)
and I’m dreaming about
a silent night
holy night
when things were alright
and I’m dreaming about
how my life could have been
if only, if only, if only
well, it’s not just the blind man
who loses his sight
merry Christmas
it’s Christmas at Denny’s tonight

they say
life’s made of cruel circumstance
fate plays the tune and we dance
dance til we drop
in the dust and we’re gone
and the world just goes on

the cop at the counter
he’s the guardian angel
he watches these orphans
through dark mirrored shades
and the register rings
like a bell sadly tolling
for the fools we’ve become
and the price that we paid

oh when I was a boy
I believed in Christmas
miracle season to make a new start
I don’t need no miracle, sweet baby Jesus
just help me find
some kind of hope in my heart
(Chorus)
but I’ll still be here
at the morning’s first light
merry Christmas
it’s Christmas at Denny’s tonight

The song tells a sad story, and I would bet it isn’t too far from at least one’s true story. Life is about making choices in reaction to what is going on in our lives. In the above story, the man couldn’t get over his daughter’s death and then witnessed his wife’s slow demise into alcohol. Even though he mentions having knowledge of God in the past. If only you hadn’t cheated on your spouse. If only you hadn’t lost your job. If only you had not come down with cancer. If only you had been a better parent. If only your house had not been destroyed by fire. If only, if only, if only.

You can mess up or have bad things happen in your life but still keep your hope.

So what happens when one looks at the circumstances instead of God? They lose their faith. They lose hope. That is what Satan wants. For you to lose your hope, that is. Without hope, people die. Jesus is the hope of the world. Accept Him and survive anything that may come your way in life.

…in him will the nations find hope. Mat. 12:21 (ICB)

I pray that the God who gives hope will fill you with much joy and peace while you trust in him. Then your hope will overflow by the power of the Holy Spirit. Rom. 15:13 (ICB)

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady  All Rights Reserved

To Know

/ Mark Brady / 4 Comments
Image by Jupi Lu from Pixabay

To know unconditional love;
is to know God.
To know real forgiveness;
is to know Jesus.
To know perfect direction;
is to know the Holy Spirit.

To know pure laughter;
is to know true friends.
To know great joy;
is to know a child.
To know time;
is to know an elderly person.

To know gratitude;
is to feed the hungry.
To know security;
is to clothe the naked.
To know health;
is to visit the sick.

To know peace;
is to know contentment.
To know lasting hope;
is to know faith.
To know wisdom;
is to know the Word of God.

Copyright © 2024 Mark Brady  All Rights Reserved

Find Encouragement

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments
Image by Pexels from Pixabay

In your best movie voiceover, “In a world where finding encouragement can be next to impossible.” Do you ever feel that way? The nightly news will try to end on a high note, but the majority of their broadcasts are negative. You go to work, you listen to your coworkers complain about, well, everything. You get home, and you hear complaints from your family, and the emails you open are bills.

I decided to reread the book of Psalms this year. But this time, I am reading it from The Message. I read an article the other day where the author ran this version into the ground. Yes, it is a translation, paraphrased from the original language into modern English. I like it, though. I have really enjoyed The Psalms, especially Chapter 119. It is so relatable to how we live today. In the Psalms, I have found encouragement.

I was inspired to try my hand at writing a modern-day Psalm.

See me, Lord. Here, praising your name.
For I am nothing without you.
When I follow your ways, my life works out.
In your word, I find wisdom.

You are right. Love is a better way to live.
And it is better to ask you, ‘O Lord, to revenge my enemies.
May they find you in the midst of it all,
and turn from their wicked ways.

I enjoy it when I have opportunities to show your love to others.
It delights my soul. Especially when they know it’s from you.
And there is no greater joy than when they accept you.
When they begin to fall in love with you as I have.

Help me, Father, to keep my heart pure.
To respond to others with pureness and love.
Guide me to know what is on your heart,
as I work to write words that will help others.

All to you, “O Lord, and to your glory!
May your name be famous in all the earth.
Only in you is all hope, encouragement, and happiness.
Only in you is an authentic life.
Psalms 1:1-5 (MBV) (Mark Brady Version)

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady

In the Nick of Time!

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Excerpts from Psalms 107 (MSG)

Oh, thank God—he’s so good!
    His love never runs out.
All of you set free by God, tell the world!
    Tell how he freed you from oppression,

Some of you wandered for years in the desert,
    looking but not finding a good place to live,
Half-starved and parched with thirst,
    staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion.
Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God.
    He got you out in the nick of time;

He put your feet on a wonderful road
    that took you straight to a good place to live.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
    for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.

He poured great drafts of water down parched throats;
    the starved and hungry got plenty to eat.

Some of you were locked in a dark cell,
    cruelly confined behind bars,
Punished for defying God’s Word,
    for turning your back on the High God’s counsel—
A hard sentence, and your hearts so heavy,
    and not a soul in sight to help.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
    he got you out in the nick of time.

He led you out of your dark, dark cell,
    broke open the jail and led you out.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
    for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;

Some of you were sick because you’d lived a bad life,
    your bodies feeling the effects of your sin;
You couldn’t stand the sight of food,
    so miserable you thought you’d be better off dead.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
    he got you out in the nick of time.
He spoke the word that healed you,
    that pulled you back from the brink of death.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
    for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;

Offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
    tell the world what he’s done—sing it out!

If you are really wise, you’ll think this over—
    it’s time you appreciated God’s deep love.

There is More Than This

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How much effort does it take to “hope”?  Hoping for a life that is better than your current one.  I think most don’t say, “I hope I …” but instead, they say, “I wish I …”.

Hope definition is – to cherish a desire with anticipation: to want something to happen or be true

Wish definition is – feel or express a strong desire for something that is not easily attainable; want something that cannot or probably will not happen.

Do you see it?  Do you see the difference between “wishing” and “hoping”?  “Hoping” comes with anticipation because it can actually happen!  This is why “hope” is so powerful.  Hope can restore a
marriage.  Hope can lead to someone getting their health back.  Hope can get you a better job.  Hope causes things to happen. 

God’s word says,
“These three remain: faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:13)  I like what “The Message,” translation says, “Trust steadily in God (that’s faith), hope unswervingly, love extravagantly.”

Hope can help you go from where you are to the kind of life God intended for you all along.  I mean, seriously, he started man and woman out living in a garden.  It’s a lie from hell to accept, “Well, this is as good as it’s ever going to get.”  NO!  You can have what God wants for you. How?  Ask for it.  Ask God to help you achieve that life.


Believe it can happen.  Start renewing the way you think today, for what you think is what you believe, and what you believe is what you say, and what you say comes to pass, for words have a lot of power.

Every time you speak, generally, you are speaking life or death.  Start listening to how you talk, and pay attention to the kind of words you use the most.  Especially those words you say to other people.  Those words matter, but also what you say to yourself in your mind.  Changing those words can change your life.

God loves you and wants you to have his best.  He doesn’t want you living in a dump but in a garden.  He wants you to live above your current situation.  He wants you looking up for something better, for there is
more than this, and when you are looking up, he can see you smile.  God wants so much love, happiness, and joy for his children, who love him, and He does work “all” things out for good for those who love him. (Rom. 8:28)

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Do You Believe?

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Photo by: Alexas Fotos

I was praying for a friend of mine recently. While praying for his future, I started getting a sense of what would happen. For instance, when it came to him needing his car repaired, I felt it was going to be $1000.00. The total came to $1001.62. Regarding his housing, he wanted to live in this one place but was told he couldn’t. While I was praying about it, I got a feeling things would be reversed. They were. There were other instances as well.

When I saw these things happening, I realized this is what it must be like to be God. In a way, I mean. Though people say this and that concerning our business, God already knows in advance the outcome and the cost partly because He has the final word. He waits for us to catch up to what He already knows.

This is why we should always place our trust and faith in God. Though things may appear bleak and dismal, not going as we had hoped, there is always God. I kept telling my friend, “God loves you so much, and He is showing you just how much in a practical way.” I think he is starting to believe me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord;
For with the Lord there is lovingkindness,
And with Him is abundant redemption. Ps. 130:7 (AMP)

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

He Knows (cont.)

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Have you ever heard someone say, “I am just worried sick!” “I am so afraid something is going to happen.” “Well, what if?”

All of these statements are rooted in fear. Fear is like a disease because it can become so powerful that it can actually cripple or debilitate someone. Fear stops people and can even prevent God from moving on your behalf. He may have the plan to help you with what you need, but if you have fear in your heart, you will most likely never try it.

I have been to countries where “fear” seemed to be one of the controlling spirits of the land. The people there would try to do things independently instead of trusting God. It was sad to witness their struggle.

I know one lady, shortly after meeting her, said to me, “My greatest fear is getting a knock on the door at 3 AM informing us that our son has been killed in an auto accident.” About three years later, her fear became a reality. The Bible addresses fear. One scripture says, “The worst of my fears has come true, what I’ve dreaded most has happened.” Job 3:25 (MSG)

The only thing greater than “fear” is “hope”! That is why the devil wants you to believe the lie that you have no hope.

“As long as you are alive, you have hope.”

Pastor Robert Morris

This is why I place my hope in the Lord, for He is the author and finisher of my faith. For God is Love, and perfect love drives out fear!

17-18 God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God, and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home, and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. 1 John 4:17-18 (MSG).

God knows what you fear and wants to help you trust him with it. Allow him so, and then his perfect love will drive it out of you as you learn to count on him.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.