Home Improvement Ministry, Christian Family Services

12/25/2025

Two important things to remember about what is to be celebrated at Christmas: They are both related to the One we celebrate, Christ Jesus. The two things to remember are the REASON for His coming and the RESULT of His coming.

Scripture is clear about the REASON: He came "to seek and save the lost" children of God (Luke 19:10). Though we are all children of God, most of us are estranged children from the God who created us. That you don't FEEL lost does not prove that you are NOT lost. That you didn't intend to be lost, is not significant to the reality that you ARE lost. Those facts can be supported by innumerable human experiences, some of which you have had.

Another expressed purpose of Jesus coming to earth was "to destroy the devil's works" (1 John 3:8) which are essentially to deceive and enslave God's children. This arch enemy of God and humanity is very crafty; he uses sweet sounding lies to ensnare us.

One of his great tools is fear. He is accomplished in using fear to manipulate us. In the Garden of Eden, it was the fear of missing out on something bigger and better. The greatest controlling fear he wields on us is the fear of death. People submit to all sorts of things under the threat of death. Jesus came to deliver us from that dark power. He did so in one of the most dramatic events recorded in human history: He let Death do its thing to Him, then He overcame Death and Rose from the Tomb. Thus, He demonstrated that death need not be feared.

Early church history documents this lack of fear in the followers of Jesus. They were hated by the Jews and the Romans. They literally faced the threat of death constantly. In that day, many were martyred for holding to this faith in the Messiah. In our world today, people still face death as a real possibility of choosing Jesus as Lord.

The things Jesus came to offer our world were individually received and still are. Consider peace with me. The Church has proclaimed what the angels first proclaimed about Jesus: "Peace on earth, goodwill to men" (Luke 2:14). We live in a world that still has "wars and rumors of wars", unrest and violence from our homes to our neighborhoods, to that of embattled nations. How can we continue to boast of PEACE in Christ Jesus? The answer is simple: the peace Jesus brought and brings is in individuals who respond to Him with TRUST. He puts His peace IN US! This peace tends to radiate to those around us. We find ourselves being transformed from the inside out to be peacemakers. This Scripture says, this about our peace, "it passes all understanding" (Philippians 4:7).

This intensely individual aspect of God's work through Christ Jesus is true of ALL His works. They begin in the human heart, and spread influence from there.

Another dramatic example of this intensely personal aspect of the work of Christ is that of freedom which Jesus offers. This, too, like His peace, "passes human understanding". For instance, Christ's freedom is a freedom that even prisoners and slaves can experience. This truth is most boldly written in Scripture as the Apostle Paul wrote powerfully and eloquently about our freedom FROM A PRISON CELL. In Christ Jesus, our bodies can be chained, but our heats can never be chained.

Consider a few very practical results of Christ coming to our world, to the hearts of millions of individual men and women: Remove our world of all universities and hospitals that began by the work of Christ followers, and our world would be a much more dark and unbearable place in which to live.

Then, remove all the followers of Jesus when there is a natural disaster and those disasters would be much more devastating than they are. We move into these situations because we believe in Jesus, not Karma. We don't believe that bad things only happen to bad people who deserved it. Furthermore, Jesus taught us that even truly bad people deserve to be loved by us as much as possible.

I hope this Christmas you will say "YES" to Jesus, for the first time, if you've never received His call to LIFE. All of us who have responded to that call have some "yesses" to say as well. Let's respond to His specific call on our lives for today and the days we have left to live on this beautiful yet broken planet. Let's choose to live on purpose, His purpose for our lives in Jesus. Merry Christmas, dear ones! Dane Tyner

12/23/2025

Long before the Church of Jesus Christ gained favor in the Roman Empire, a major celebration was held in late December. Pagan worship, which focused on nature and the various gods of nature, celebrated the winter solstice, the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Thus, it was much about celebrating the "sun god" reviving from what seemed to be a dying phase.

The Christian leaders used their new favor as THE official religion of the Roman Empire to repurpose all the major pagan holidays. This holiday seemed perfect to celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ.

In case you didn't know, Christ was not Jesus' last name. It was the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew word Messiah. Therefore, Christ is His descriptive title, identifying Him as the Chosen One of God to bring spiritual victory to the sin-broken world. Hundreds of prophecies pointed to this One. Some of those powerful prophecies spoke of His birth, His genetic blood line, the place of His birth, and the person who would bear Him.

We were nowhere commanded to celebrate His unique birth; but it is utterly worthy of celebration, much more worthy than celebrating a natural event of nature that is predictably recurring.

Celebrate the winter solstice if you want, but as for me and my house we will celebrate the One responsible for that - the Creator, and more specifically Emmanuel, God who is WITH us. That is the Lord Jesus Christ! I owe my life to Him. He rescued me from my sins! I hope you know Him like this. Dane Tyner

12/17/2025

Have you gotten a copy of my book, "Everyone's Job - Repairing Damaged Relationships"? I published it to help people know WHAT to do and HOW to do it best. Get your copy from Amazon. Contact us if you need help repairing a relationship.

12/13/2025

https://conta.cc/4qdH2FP

Email from Home Improvement Ministry   Family Tips Donate Now Isaiah 9:6 (NKJV) 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

12/10/2025

In this season when Christians refer to the "Wonderful Counselor", they are not talking about me or another Christian counselor. They're referring to the Lord Jesus as Isaiah described Him. At best, we Christian counselors work for Him. If the Lord has been prompting you to reach out for help, please consider contacting us.

12/06/2025

We will launch this study very soon. If God has been drawing you to more Bible study, this may be an answer for you. Since we don't meet in person, you can study in your own time and space, even in your PJ's. Let me hear from you if interested. I've offered this every year since 2007 with some very positive responses from participants. Dane

12/03/2025

Many people have responded favorably to the material in my book. I do believe that "Repairing Damaged Relationships is Everyone's Job". Let me help you do this, sometimes challenging work. Order your copy from Amazon. Thanks.

12/03/2025

Some personal and relational problems remind me of the disease syphilis. That disease has three known stages: primary, secondary, and latent. The first stage has an irritating sore that goes away on its own in a short time. Stage two has more irritating symptoms that last longer but also tend to resolve on their own. The third stage is the most dangerous which develops when no treatment was sought in the early stages. For years one can live with NO visible symptoms, but then . . . The brain and other major organs are compromised. Antibiotics can treat the disease but not reverse the damage. When you know that something isn't right in your inner world or your relationships, get help, and the earlier the better. Contact us for help.

12/03/2025

Here is a bit or parenting advice I think worthy of your contemplation: Before you attempt to control your child, make sure you are controlling yourself properly. Dane

11/30/2025

A December recommendation: Read through the Gospel of Luke, a chapter per day. By Christmas, you'll have taken in the story of Jesus. Start tomorrow. Dane Tyner

11/28/2025

Hey, if you missed "giving Tuesday", you're in luck. Today is Giving Friday; tomorrow is Giving Saturday, and the day after that is, you guessed it: Giving Sunday. We welcome gifts to our ministry any day; they enable us to serve dear people. Contact us if you need to know how to do this.

11/27/2025

Some fifty years ago, when I was 16, I worked in a fast-food restaurant. I earned a whopping 65 cents per hour. I worked harder for that pay than I see from most fast-food workers today. The fastest food comes from the fastest workers. We were trained to move quickly and efficiently. Most of my peers in the mid 60's were on board with this. We came to work and we came to work.

I remember one night, after closing, I was in the back of the restaurant cleaning up (washing pots and pans and utensils in the large sinks). It was my least favorite chore at work. Our store was managed by the two brothers who owned it. One of them was helping close this particular night. Jack walked up to me and said, "Tyner, you're the best clean up guy I've got!". My response set him back a bit. I said, with a tone of sarcasm, "Gee, thanks!".

He told me he was just trying to pay me a compliment, that I really did a good job and it was appreciated. They had noticed that no one ever had to redo something the next morning when I had clean up duty. I accepted the compliment and continued to work. I've never forgotten the transaction.

I wanted to be praised for something more honorable than cleaning nasty utensils in the back room, or moping the floor after everyone had gone home. That's the honest truth. I really didn't appreciate the importance of the job I did, even though I did it diligently. A good boss, however, saw the importance of affirming that diligence.

Proverbs 12:24 says, "Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor." For all the deficiencies of the home I grew up in, I am grateful that I was taught to work diligently. It has been my intent through my whole work life.

May I challenge you in this matter today? If you are on the bottom rung of the corporate ladder, work like you are on the next rung. Get rid of a "just enough to get by" attitude. If you are a "minimum wage worker", that does not justify doing minimal work. That is not the attitude of Christ. Jesus said, "If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles" (MT 5:42). You may FEEL like a slave on your job, but when Paul spoke to men who were literal slaves, he said, "Obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ" (Eph 6:5),

Paul wanted us to realize that this is essentially a heart issue. He went on to say, "Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart." (Eph 6:6). My good work ethic at 16 was not due to these scriptures; it resulted from parental teaching and modeling. I didn't even know these verses were in the Bible back then.

I was a hard worker but with a poor attitude. My poor attitude did not show in my work, as it does with many people; it showed in that moment of affirmation. If you were not fortunate enough to be taught at home to be a diligent worker, if that was not modeled for you, let the Word of God teach you better. If your attitude stinks, let the Spirit of God sweeten it.

Please hear what I have shared with you today. Your prosperity is likely at stake. Poor performance in the real world is rarely rewarded. Indeed, it shouldn't be rewarded. Good performance with a poor attitude is often discerned by supervisors. It is always seen by the God who wants you to be a great servant. Do the stuff you are sure no one notices. Do it with utter confidence that God notices and rewards. You just may be surprised, as I was in the back of that restaurant 50-plus years ago, to discover that someone other than God noticed your diligence. Dane Tyner