I am not one for making New Year's resolutions. This year, however, may be an exception. 

Here is why:

When we pay attention to the news of what is happening around the world, it is easy to believe the world is going to hell in a hand basket.  I mean that mostly in a theological sense.

After all, there are wars. There are hate groups. There are diseases ravaging people. Starvation is rampant.

Greed, jealousy, pride, ego and laziness permeate the very corners of many in society.

With all these harmful and hateful events taking place, it is easy to become cynical. 

“Trust no one" and “look out for yourself because no one else will” become mantras by which many learn to live.

Maintaining this mindset is a horrible state in which to live. It blocks out the ability to find joy. It overshadows the bright achievements of young children. It blunts the radiance of contentment.

In a recent article, I offered words of encouragement suggesting you make a New Year's resolution to draw closer to God.

Here's another suggestion: look for life's positive aspects. 

Perusing the positive will positively propel me — and you — to a deeper awareness and relationship with God.

Remember: God does not will for bad things to happen in life.  Bad things happen, more often than not, because people choose to ignore God, at best, and shun God at worst. 

When a person believes they know better than God, others suffer through wars, hate groups, starvation and ailments.

Focus on God. Find again the great joy intended for your life. This joy is a direct result of Jesus Christ coming into the world to rescue people from sin. 

Allow yourself the privilege of reclaiming what God intends for your life — a positive outlook based on the joy that comes from his Son.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Focus on life's positive aspects

With each new year, people look forward to starting a new chapter in life.

My suggestion, as we move into 2015, is to have one goal: draw closer to God than you have ever been before.

God is the reason you have life. He is truly the only aspect of life that truly matters.

Yes, God provides gifts such as families and friends, food and shelter. But too frequently, our personal pursuits, our personally perceived needs, turn our attention away from God and what God will provide.

Don’t let that be the case for you this year!

Before purchasing something, before striving to make an extra buck, before making major decisions, remember to ask yourself — and God! — if it is what God really wants you to do.

By asking that simple question, you will focus more on God’s will than your own.

When you focus on God’s will, you will automatically draw closer to him. It cannot be helped. God’s will, God’s desire, and God’s sense of right and wrong eventually become yours as well.

This is a gift he is willing to give because of the gift he gave at Christmas — himself in the baby Jesus.

He came to show love, to show what he can and will give, and to show how important you are to him.

So, Happy New Year to each and every one of you! Enjoy the start of this new chapter. Enjoy the guidance of God through his Son and Holy Spirit.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Draw closer to God in 2015

Thursday brings the most anticipated holiday of the year: Christmas.

It is amazing the power this day has over individuals and cultures. You have observed, and probably participated in, recent weeks' frenzy of activities.

You have witnessed shopping sprees, dinners and parties, Christmas carols sung by groups and individuals, and homes and businesses being decorated.

You have observed the increase of generosity as Christmas Day approaches, along with donations to special funds, to food kitchens and clothing banks, and to families and persons in need. The power of one day.

There is an attempt to make each Christmas season more special than the last. There is a passion to spread joy, happiness, and good cheer. There is a desire to see children smile with delight.

All this because of a little baby born in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. Remembering this baby's birth has great power — so much that it brought World War I to a standstill in many places along the front.

Remembering this baby's birth has so much power that sworn enemies have been able to reconcile their differences, broken relationships have been healed and loneliness has been replaced by a sense of belonging.

This year, as in previous years, many people will attend one of numerous Christmas Eve worship services. They will take a moment to pause and reflect on the meaning of this baby’s birth before continuing with the frenzy of gift exchanges on Christmas Day.

Let me encourage you to not be so carried away in the whirlwind of activity on Christmas Day that you forget the message you heard in worship on Christmas Eve.

Remember the power of one day.

Who is this tiny baby born in Bethlehem? Christ, the Lord.

Merry Christmas!

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: PULPIT: Consider the power of Christmas

Jon often misbehaved at supper time. One day, his mother had enough and put the 5-year-old in his room for time out.

The boy's grandfather, who was visiting, heard Jon's wails of sorrow down the hall. Grandpa wanted to let Jon come out of his room, but did not want to negate his daughter’s authority.

After a moment’s thought, Grandpa went into Jon’s room to spend time with him until his time out was over.

Across town, Paul was walking in the woods with his 9-year-old son, Andrew. The boy pointed to a trail of ants scurrying across the forest floor, many of them carrying leaves and twigs.

He noticed a small group of ants trying to wrestle a particularly large leaf around a rock. It seemed no matter how hard the ants tried, they could not make it around the rock.

Andrew said he wished he could help them.

His father said, “But, you are too big, and they wouldn’t understand. If you were to help them, you would frighten them off. ”

Andrew thought for a moment and then quietly said, “If I became one of them, they wouldn't be frightened of me. Then I could help.”

God knew humanity's plight:  people overrun by sin, crying for help and seeking release from our self-imposed prisons.

God knew he could ignore his own rules and expectations, but knew that would not solve the problem. So, God decided he needed to be with us and among us.

He also knew that if he came here as he is, we would have been so afraid of him we would have run away. So, he came to us as one of us.

Jesus. Immanuel. God with us. How wonderful is that!

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Having God here on earth, with us

Look around. It seems as though the world continues to spin out of control. There is rioting, war, famine, illness, greed, gluttony, bickering, distrust — the list goes on.

A great deal of inhumanity is foisted on fellow human beings. Emotions run deep, and explode in anger and hatred.

What causes people to be so self-indulgent and self-righteous that they believe they are correct and everyone else is wrong; or that they are entitled to whatever they desire; or that when they don’t get their way they can throw a temper tantrum?

It comes down to not paying attention to God or acknowledging God as the creator of life. It's unwillingness to surrender selfish desires and the need for control.

Let's acknowledge what The Bible says in Isaiah: Chapter 64, verse 8: “O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

When you say this, you acknowledge God is your creator. You ask God to make you pliable in his hands. You ask God to shape you and mold you into what He intends for you to become.

God responds with open arms and a gentle spirit. He proved this when he came to Earth in Jesus Christ.

When our lives are focused on God, he treats us like sons and daughters. In Jesus Christ we are sisters and brothers. We are called to care for one another as he cares for us. The color of one’s skin matters not. Economic standing matters not. Religious upbringing matters not. National origin matters not.

As Christmas approaches, ask yourself: Are you paying attention to God? Or are you paying attention to the ways of the world? Remember, God came to Earth in Jesus to save us from the ways of the world, not to encourage us to wallow in them.

How will you prepare yourself?

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Let God be in control

Advent is a season of preparation — preparing one’s heart, mind and soul for the coming of our Lord.

Between now and Dec. 25, Christians look forward by remembering the past.

In this season, we prepare to celebrate Jesus Christ's birth as foretold by the prophets. Along with John the Baptist, we look forward to the life and ministry Jesus will bring. And with great expectation, we watch for our Lord’s second coming at a time and place of God’s choosing.

Too frequently, however, this season's spiritual expectations get grossly overshadowed by its social expectations. Too many parties. Too many places to go. Too much shopping. Too much, well, you name it.

My suggestion? Cut back on the myriad events and occasions society expects. Use that time to focus on preparing your heart, mind and soul on this time's spiritual nature.

You see, Christmas is about God coming to Earth in Jesus Christ. That is the ultimate gift in life. All else is secondary.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: This Advent, cut back on the parties

Next week, Thanksgiving will be celebrated all across the nation. This holiday was established generations ago to encourage people to focus their thoughts on gratitude for life's gifts, joys and even challenges.

Yet, Thursday, people will express thanks for what they have. But on Friday, many will rush to stores for Black Friday sales and shop for more things.

A sign of the times? Probably. We live in a time of the ever-present sound bite. Attention spans have grown shorter. If you doubt this, note how short any one camera angle remains on the television or movie screen before it changes. Most are no longer than 8 seconds.

We seem to live in a culture of amnesia. We forget what was important a moment ago and focus on what is coming next. What is past is no longer important. If you doubt this, do you remember what happened in the news on March 8 or July 17 of this year? There are still many unanswered questions in both situations.

On Thanksgiving, offer your words of thanks to God.

Give thanks for the good news you have received, the good gifts you have received, and the love and joy that came your way.

Also, give thanks for the hardships because, even though you may have been challenged emotional, spiritual or physically, you grew from those experiences.

Don’t be in too much of a hurry to get past giving thanks for what you have, only to ignore it for something better yet to come. Remain in the present.

A hasty “thanks” isn’t very meaningful.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Give thanks — and mean it

Fall is typically when many congregations talk about stewardship — encouraging people to give their time, money and talents to the work of the church. 

Stewardship's root word comes from Old English — “styward," or keeper of the pigs.

I guess you could say stewardship has always been a dirty topic. It's often approached like a fundraiser. Church leaders come up with a dollar amount they anticipate it costing to run the church during the coming year, present that figure to the congregation, and ask the congregation to “cough it up.”

Some rebel and say, “Don’t tell me what to do with my money.”  Or, “I’ll do my fair share. If the other members don’t do theirs, well, that’s on them.”

The Bible doesn’t talk about making a tax-deductible donation to the church. Rather, it talks about giving an offering to God. People are to give offerings to God through their congregation. And because offerings are for God, they are, first of all, a spiritual matter.

Our offerings reflect our spiritual maturity and health: the gratitude, love, respect and reverence we have for God, not for the pastor, staff or denomination. 

When considering your offering, don't focus on fundraising issues — meeting the budget's bottom line. Instead, focus on demonstrating your love, reverence and obedience to God.

Stewardship is not a dirty topic; it is a spiritual topic. How you respond will make a huge difference in what — and how — you give.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Focus on God when considering your offering

Here are several daily devotionals you can use.

•Actions speak louder than words. Have you come under attack because of your faith in Jesus Christ? Did anyone come to your aid? We are called to do this for one another because there is strength in numbers.

We should advocate for those with changed hearts who seek reconciliation and restoration. Vouch for them. Stand up for them. They will then do the same in turn.

•Avoid temptation. Some people can convince others to break rules, purchase an unneeded or too-expensive item, or do something otherwise wrong.

These people can sweet-talk their way into your mind, but remember: Temptation worms its way in, slowly but surely, with great-sounding promises. At even greater cost.

•Love your enemies. Some people find pleasure in making others miserable. Unfortunately, if you point this out, or even try to correct it, this person could focus on you.

But remember what Jesus said: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.”

This isn't easy to do, but it's very rewarding in the long run.

•Learn to forgive. With bitterness in your soul, you can never be happy. Think about sucking on a lemon. Does it make your mouth water and your face pucker? (Mine does every time I sip lemonade.)

This bitter experience, especially the puckered face, is what happens to your soul when you cling to the past. Bitterness robs your soul of happiness and joy.

So let it go. Give it over to God and allow your spirit to soar with the eagles.

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: 4 devotionals to bring peace to your life

What people hear Christians say can be vastly different from what they observe.

People wonder: "Love your neighbor? Then why are you bad-mouthing them? Why are you gossiping about them?  Why are you turning your back on them?"  If Christians are supposed to be loving, why are so many churches rife with internal strife and people splitting off?

Sometimes, we Christians do not demonstrate what it means to follow Jesus Christ. And people will always believe our actions before they believe our words.

But living Jesus' teachings all the time, without fail, is easier said than done. Sometimes, we fail miserably. 

Still, when we declare ourselves to be Jesus Christ's disciples, we should strive to live a new life. We should bear witness to the goodness and grace of who Jesus is and what he can provide. We should demonstrate to everyone what it means to be a part of the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus taught these lessons for us to live to their fullest: Love your enemy; pray for those who persecute you; go the second mile; forgive as you would like to be forgiven; do not judge or insult others; do not lust after what is not yours; let your yes be yes and your no be no; don’t make a show of what you do; seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; build your faith on solid foundation. 

When Jesus' teachings are lived to the best of our ability, we can truly exhibit the kingdom of heaven to the world. 

How will you demonstrate your willingness to live the teachings of Jesus to the best of your ability?

The Rev. Mark Broadhead is Laurel Hill Presbyterian Church and First Presbyterian Church of Crestview’s pastor.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FROM THE PULPIT: Living perfectly isn't easy, but we should try