Not all of us have a chance to hide inside our heated homes under the covers of our comfy beds when the temperatures start dipping low. This week 16 people died in the Midwest from the terrible winter storms that hit, and more harsh winter weather is expected to follow.

In these times, we can often get caught up in finding our own comfort. Yet there are so many people out there looking for shelter and warmth on these frigid nights. Let's offer up our prayers to everyone in these cold times.

Also, let's try and take our help beyond just prayers by taking a little action. Find a shelter to drop off old coats and blankets. A lot of us have much more than we need, and this time of year those warm items run scarce. Take your prayers and make them real for someone in your neighborhood.

It's that time of year when we start getting colder and stress over finals seems to be setting in. For many students, the first semester final exams are just around the corner. It's time to start proofreading those papers, cramming a semester's worth of information in the brain, and getting out the flashcards to aid our memories.

Yet studying is more than just cram-it-all-in time. We can try to make our exam experience as stress-free as possible by using study strategies like study groups, using quiet times and places, and following great study strategies. We can also take a few moments out of our study time to de-stress in prayer, meditation, get a snack or just away from the books. A good balance keeps us from losing focus.

Romans 12:16 - "Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited." (NIV)

I find that, even in church, there are still divisions and cliques among us. If there is one off-putting thing about churches to people is that often we fall into a worldly pattern of becoming exclusive and we don't branch out to include others into our groups. However, the Bible reminds us that we should not exclude people. We need to love one another and reach out to others. Too often we are self-absorbed, and the Bible clearly asks us to be hospitable and get outside ourselves a little bit.

It's not easy. When we go to church or school, we like to see our friends. We like to hang out with people we know, and getting to know others is sometimes uncomfortable. Yet, think about it...how would you feel if you were the kid eating by himself at lunch every day? Or the person who walked into youth group for the first time? As Christians we need to exemplify that God loves everyone by, well, showing that love to everyone.

Today I was reading a blog commenting about how Christian music seems to be everywhere, and it made me think about all the times I've been somewhere and heard a song I thought was only being played on Christian radio stations being piped into stores, elevators, and more. The blog was commenting on another blogger, who was an atheist, complaining about how she was on an airplane that piped in Christian music.

Yet the blog made a good point of how there are plenty of secular artists that use Christian themes and even direct bible verses in their songs that are played on mainstream radio. There are even Christian artists whose music is played on mainstream radio like Lifehouse, MercyMe, and Switchfoot. I've often laughed when I hear non-Christians talk about how much they love their songs, because I wonder how they would react if they only knew...

Still, the atheist woman found the music offensive, and I understand that, because she felt the religious viewpoint was being forced upon her. No one likes to feel forced into believing anything. Faith is a choice, and she chose not to believe. While her choice makes me sad, I understand her view since I've heard plenty of music I find offensive. Sorry, I don't want to listen to songs about rape, gratuitous sex, or especially songs degrading God. Yet those are often played in public places. Sometimes you just have to learn to tune those things out, because as much as we may choose not to listen to offensive music in our personal lives, we cannot always avoid it in public. Christians may not be of the world when it comes to our own music choices, but we certainly live in a world where we may not always agree with what others play through their sound systems.