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WisconsinChristianNews.com
Volume 26, Issue 8
Healthy Homes & Families Natural, Biblical, Healthy Living New Beginnings By Chris McMahan January 2026
would like me to instead be having a conver- sation with? I stand with condemning thoughts, like stones, waiting for an opportunity to be launched at their intended victim. Instead of
And we are reminded by Jesus' question to the woman that if God is for us, who can be against us! This is a beautiful place to be; when we re- alize that we need the grace of God, and we re- alize that it is there for us in the person of Jesus. The woman did not deny her sin, nor did she deny her need for mercy because of it. Her contrite heart was the perfect soil for Jesus to plant His seeds of mercy. The third character in the story that the Holy Spirit highlighted to me was Jesus Himself. No surprise, right? He seems to be the main character of a lot of Bible accounts! But today He was part of the transition in the life of a Christian that the Holy Spirit wants me to think about. We need to move from not realizing that we need God’s grace and being judgmental (the last man stand- ing)... to recognizing that we are dead with- out it and Jesus always stands ready to forgive and not condemn (the woman caught in adultery)... to the final place where we are be- coming like Jesus and we offer to extend that grace to others. We begin recognizing that we are intended to be a vessel, like Jesus was, of the mercy of God and grace of God… January is always a time to start fresh… Where do I need a new beginning? In what ways am I judging, that I should be extending the grace of God? What areas of my own life have I forgotten are covered by God’s mercy and grace? Thanksgiving has passed, but we should still walk in an attitude of gratefulness for the constant mercy and grace God extends in the question He still asks us today: who is it that condemns you? And may we walk further into 2026 extending that same grace to others. Chris McMahan Email: Happy1970@icloud.com
Happy New Year, WCN friends. I hope 2026 holds God’s greatest blessings for you. I don’t know about you, but I love the start of a new year. There is some- thing inherently hopeful about
new beginnings. This morning I was reading in John chapter 8 about the woman caught in adultery. Do any of you long for a fresh start? A day to leave the disappointments, bad decisions and unfinished goals of the past behind and forge on into the future? The future, a place where anything is pos- sible and every day brings new hope and new mercies. The woman caught in adultery receives her fresh start from Jesus, but she is not the only character in that Biblical account that we can learn from. I love how Scripture comes alive and God says something fresh each time we read it; because the Holy Spirit knows what we need to be learning at any given moment. Today I saw three characters in John 8 and re- alized that I could be any of the three in the story. The first one I saw is not named specifically, but as I pictured the scene unfolding in my mind I saw him...he was the last man standing. He held the stone the longest and was the last person to walk away. We know that he was one of the younger people (John 8:9). We know that he was willing to cast a stone at another for their sin. We know that he did not stay to re- ceive the grace of Jesus, but stayed the longest in order to extend judgment and condemnation. Who am I judging? We never want to be the Pharisee or Pharaoh… or the last man standing with a stone… but sometimes the truth is that we are. Who am I judging in my life that Jesus
being the last man standing, I should be the first to extend mercy and grace. I should extend hope, even to the guilty; and grace, even to those who sin against me. Jesus still sets this example for us today as the One who stays by us, loves us where we are, and offers us hope and a future. Who do I know that needs mercy? Who needs grace? The second character that the Holy Spirit highlighted to me was the woman. Not exactly her as a person, but the growth of the Christian represented by her. There was a transition from the first character, the young stone thrower, who did not realize he needed the grace of God; to the second character, the woman, who stood face-to-face with Jesus knowing that she needed mercy or she was going to receive death. All of us who are saved have gotten to this place at one point or another in our life. Praise Jesus! He is always there asking the same question… Who is it that has condemned you? (John 8:10).
Thank You, Lord!
By Ray LeBlanc January 2026
our world that You created, entered the womb as a child, suffered and died as a man, felt all the pain and sorrow that no one but You Yourself could withstand! All for the purpose of redeeming man, and now You’re sitting at the right hand of God the Father, in glory, wel- coming in the saints of earth, as one by one, we leave this earth, promising heaven eternity for those who be- lieve, but hell and damnation for those deceived. May we not take for granted and sit on our laurels and do nothing to warn our fellow man, of death and destruction for rejecting Your plan of salvation, avail- able to all those that receive the finished work on that cruel cross, all done according to Your will, that God so loved us, that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, as a Redeemer and the only way to the Father. He laid down His life for all those that believe, so re- joice, be glad and share the Good News with your fellow man, knowing that if you be ashamed of Him after all He has done for you, He will be ashamed of you. And now this last thought, that it is appointed unto men once to die, then after this the judgment. Judgment can be good or bad, we will all go to heaven, some just long enough to hear the King of Kings, say, “depart from Me, I never knew you,” and then enter into utter darkness where there will be suffering and gnashing of teeth. Make sure of your calling, for those that believe will receive their just rewards, and hear the blessed words, “well done thy good and faithful servant. Enter into your eternal rest, come and see I have prepared a place for you, in My Father’s house are many mansions, come and see, walk the streets of gold with Me, taste of the twelve fruit trees of life, drink from the everlasting water of life, be submersed in the perfect love of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Go rest high upon that mountain, for your work on earth is done!” Thank you, Jesus! Amen.
I can see, feel, taste, touch and smell all things around me. I can love, trust, obey and follow You are reject You. Some things I see are beautiful, other things are horrible, I tasted of pleasant things as well as disgusting
things. I touched things that brought me joy, as well as touched things that I should not! I am fearfully and won- derfully made, I have a free will to choose or reject! While I was yet a sinner and a vile and wretched per- son, You sent Your beloved Son to die for me, You opened my eyes to wisdom, knowledge and under- standing of the Gospel truth. Jesus said, “Seek Me and Ye shall be found of Me...ye must be born again.” He said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life!” All I had to do was repent and gladly give up all the things that were de- stroying myself, through the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life! So I want to thank You, Lord Jesus, that I woke up this morning in the comforts of a heated home. I crawled out of a warm bed, was able to walk a few steps to the convenience of a light switch on the wall to chase away the darkness; into another room I went where I had plenty of hot and cold run- ning water at my fingertips, to wash and bathe in, thank You for inside plumbing to wash away the dirt of my body with just a flush by pushing a handle! Going to my closet, I had a plethora of clothes to choose from, shoes for my feet. Going to my kitchen fridge and cab- inets, I have a plethora of food and drink available, I have a plethora of cooking items and heating sources. On my convenient cell phone, if I’m sick, I have the whole medical industry available to offer healing of my body. If I’m in danger I only have to dial 911 for police protection. On my
phone that I carry everywhere, it connects me to the whole world, through many apps, such as internet news, online banking for my convenience, as well as video or audio calling to anyone in the world at my fingertips, yet I’m not considered a rich man. You have blessed us tremendously with so much, yet at times we appreciate it so little. We are impatient having to wait more than 10 minutes for a service such as food, wait- ing in line for “benefits!” — and so much more I could say. In return, what can I offer You back, Lord Jesus? Can I be bothered to share the good news of salvation to those that don’t know You? Can I stand in front of an abortion kill zone, as an innocent child is about to be ripped apart by an abor- tionist/murderer inside their mother’s womb? Can I warn the homosexual community of what awaits them and all who take pleasure in sin, not caring that there is a heaven to gain and a hell to shun, when once they die, and give an account be- fore the SON OF GOD? Is it too much for me to tell it to a stranger, warn my beloved family and friends? Pass out a gospel tract wherever I go? Lord Jesus, the true purpose and reason You entered into
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