December 2025
Behold Him: An Encouraging Word from Karen Pulley
[Scroll down to listen to the message from our recent Christmas breakfast!]
The Christmas season is filled with beauty for us to behold: twinkling lights, delicious-looking treats, and sentimental decorations, to name just a few. But it’s entirely possible to gaze upon the sights of Christmas and miss the Savior whom we’re celebrating.
They say where your eyes go, your whole body follows. What are you looking at this Christmas? “If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest.” (Corrie ten Boom)
It’s also said that a dime is small enough to block the sun if you hold it up in the right position. This Christmas, don’t let what is small and of little value block your sight of the Son. Don’t allow anything to shift your gaze from Jesus, the reason for the season. “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).
Is there anything that compares with Jesus? One look at Him causes everything else to grow dim, doesn’t it? “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.”
My prayer is that this season, despite the “dimes” that come your way each and every day and their potential to block your view of the Son, you would continually behold Him. To “behold” someone doesn’t mean to take a quick glance at them but rather a long gaze. It’s like grabbing them by the collar or slapping them in the face to get their attention! Gaze at Jesus through spending time with Him in His Word. Consider joining us in 2026 to read through the Bible in a year. You will be a different person, one for the better!
“Behold Him” by Francesca Battistelli
In your silent night
When you're not alright
Lift your eyes and behold Him
Feel the thrill of hope
You are not alone
In this moment, behold Him (Behold Him)
King forevermore
Come let us adore
Christ our Savior, behold Him
Feel the thrill of hope
We are not alone (Not alone)
In this moment, behold Him
In each moment, behold Him
(Click here for more of this song’s lyrics.)
“One Solitary Life” by James Allen Francis
He was born in an obscure village
The child of a peasant woman
He grew up in another obscure village
Where he worked in a carpenter shop
Until he was thirty
He never wrote a book
He never held an office
He never went to college
He never visited a big city
He never traveled more than two hundred miles
From the place where he was born
He did none of the things
Usually associated with greatness
He had no credentials but himself
He was only thirty three
His friends ran away
One of them denied him
He was turned over to his enemies
And went through the mockery of a trial
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves
While dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing
The only property he had on earth
When he was dead
He was laid in a borrowed grave
Through the pity of a friend
Nineteen centuries have come and gone
And today Jesus is the central figure of the human race
And the leader of mankind's progress
All the armies that have ever marched
All the navies that have ever sailed
All the parliaments that have ever sat
All the kings that ever reigned put together
Have not affected the life of mankind on earth
As powerfully as that one solitary life
We would see Jesus,
Karen Pulley
PS - Remember, the messier your house is, the more it’s like the nativity! Click here for “The Christmas version” of 1 Corinthians 13!
Click here to listen to Liz Hargrave’s message, “Behold Him,” from our recent Christmas Breakfast!