With a bit of preparation and forethought, your Christmas celebration can be both simple and meaningful. Small details, like the ones here, go a long way in creating a home full of peace and joy.

This holiday season give to others. Here are some ideas.

The radical changes and new status we gain at the moment of salvation are not often understood. The simple act of believing in Christ changes more than we comprehend or can truly appreciate. It literally changes our eternity. Read these truths to transform your mind (see Romans 12:1, 2).

Release the desire to control your own life and you will finally be able to breathe with ease.

You don’t have to make a grand sweeping change to start impacting your life for the better. Focus on micro goals with clear and easy steps and let the results snowball. As you strive for progress rather than perfection, ask God for wisdom and guidance.

When the world’s troubles and sins overwhelm you, look to God for the peace that surpasses all understanding.

Typically, we think of hymns as belonging to a formal worship service—they’re church songs. But the truth is that hymns are for everyday life. The words and tunes provide a way to strengthen our relationship with God. Singing hymns is a way to draw close to the Lord as the words direct our thoughts and minds to Him. As you learn hymns, you’ll discover that some are a perfect fit for specific situations in life. They’re a prescription that can lighten burdens, bring peace to stress, stir joy in pain and lift our souls to heaven as we sing praises to God. Check out these hymns to help build your faith.

After years of suffering constant bleeding the woman reached out and touched Jesus’ robe believing she would be healed, and she was. Jesus responded, “Daughter, your faith has made you well ...” (Mark 5:34). God is the same today as He was then and His grace is sufficient for your needs. You can have strong faith—if you choose.

Jesus’ promise for a rested soul comes through a close connection to Him and His ways. In Matthew 11:28–30 He says, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (ESV).

Hope is a favorable and confident expectation and the happy anticipation of good. We have an everlasting hope because of God's character and His promises. So, when the storms of life blow, we can expectantly trust Jesus to act and take courage in the fact that He has authority and power over all Creation.

There are many stories about how people in difficult situations have relied on Scripture for peace, power and instruction. God promises that His Word “…will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” Isaiah 55:11 NIV.

The book of Ecclesiastes concludes there is a purpose for our lives, and we find meaning when we know God and His truth.

In this world of self-gratification and narcissism, how do we submit to God and prioritize His desires over ours?

God is our place of refuge in good times and in bad.

Each of us is created in the image of God. We are each unique. He chose our DNA, how we are knitted together and the way we look. He was intentional when he created us and gives us a purpose. He asks that we love others, as He loves.

“Three things will last forever—faith, hope and love—and the greatest of these is love.” — 1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT

Walking down a narrow gravel road that weaves through a camp of wall-to-wall tents and shelters overflowing with children, LaDawna McKinnis is on her way to see friends. It’s a March Friday in 2016 and a Kurdish family in this Northern Iraq refugee camp has invited LaDawna over share some chai tea. As she enters their temporary home through the canvas door, a young boy greets her. Sitting on the dirt floor, he is unable to walk or talk, so he smiles and lifts his arms when he sees his American friend. He understands that even though his family hides him away like a curse, she will give him a hug. LaDawna scoops the small disabled boy into her arms and forgets for a moment that she is in Domiz Camp, half a world away from home and only 30 miles from territory controlled by the terrorist army of ISIS.

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.” John 3:5 NIV

A thousand years before Jesus was born, prophets of ancient Israel were predicting with exact words that a Son would be given to the world. Hundreds of prophecies detail His birth, ministry, suffering, death, resurrection and victorious ascension into Heaven.

Faith in God is about a relationship, not a religion. This makes knowing God central to a personal faith. “Who are you, God?” is the vital question the Bible answers in a surprising way. Throughout the Scriptures, god defines himself as God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Bible scholars call this mind-bending truth the Trinity.

God wants a relationship with us and promises to reward those who seek to draw closer to Him (Hebrews 11:6). Here are some things each of us can do to foster a greater relationship with our creator.

Shortly before the resurrected Jesus ascended to heaven, He gave a command—often called the Great Commission—to His followers: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:19 ESV. It was a message to all Christians, whether in the first century or the 21st century. Here’s how three believers have applied this call to reach a world that doesn’t always agree with or welcome the message.

"The flowers appear on earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle dove is heard in our land." — Song of Solomon 2:12 ASV

Healer, visionary and patriot Dr. Daniel Johnston seeks God’s purpose for his life through service to others, whether he’s in the White House or Iraq, on land or in the sky.

Spring brings April showers, May flowers and planting time. Scripture is full of God’s thoughts about seeds. Examine His handiwork in these sparks of life—and glean insights into the mind of the Creator.

True love is a song, when two people fall in love, chords, in the hearts of a man and woman, create a beautiful melody. Blessed by the Lord, the song is a heavenly refrain with the power to transform two bodies into one.

We long for meaning in our lives, forgetting that we will never find it by embracing this world. We are sojourners here, our purpose to live as God’s people.