Selfishness is a very ugly part of human nature. Human beings have a fundamental focus on self. We want what will make me happy, often without consideration for others. But Christians are called to be very different. Not selfish, but selfless. Not self-serving, but sacrificial. At Christmas, Jesus provides the perfect example of humble, sacrificial service.

“This is SPARTA!” This was the catch phrase uttered by King Leonidas as he took his heroic stand against the Persian invaders in the movie “300”. Since the movie’s release in 2006, his “gung ho” resistance and love for Sparta has spawned many imitations. People loved the film because of King Leonidas’ selfless sacrifice...

There is no question of the importance of prayer. Onwuchekwa puts it well in his book, “prayer is something essential to our existence” and “prayerlessness is spiritual suicide”. Yet, although most Christians agree in theory that prayer is essential, in practice it is often neglected. Frequently, our prayers are sparse and sporadic...