"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.” Malachi 4:6 When you think about it, the Christmas story is the story of not just one miraculous …
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Come, God with Us
Last Sunday at church, we were singing one of my favorite Christmas songs, “O Come Emmanuel.” That hymn isn’t like “Jingle Bells,” or even “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” It’s written in minor chords; …
Shepherds
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. –Luke 2:8 As someone who’s ADD, I cannot for the life of me imagine a worse vocation than …
Two Different Responses
When we look at Luke 1, we see two different people. Zechariah and Mary. Two different visitations. Two very different responses. So much to teach us about responding to God’s Word and His work in our …
A Cause for Celebration
As we enter into the Christmas season and the end to another semester at Grace Community, I stand in awe of God’s work through our school family. As Grace’s Alumni Director, I’m constantly immersed in …
The Candle of Hope
My children are older now, but I was reflecting on Christmas past, when they were little. Two memories, in particular, haunt me in vivid detail. The first was when one of them wanted a Butterscotch …
An Advent Devotional
Several years ago, I read a book by Os Guinness called The Call, about finding and fulfilling the central purpose of one’s life. I recommend it. In the book, Guinness noted one of the great ironies of …
A Season for Reflection
I am way too busy. I know it; you don’t have to tell me. Like most of you, I simply have too many plates spinning, too many things going on in my life. Whether you are a high-capacity person, or one …
The Game of Gratitude
I was on my way to church the other day with my youngest daughter, and she was sharing with me that Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday; better than Christmas. She said that all the presents just …
Grace and Truth, Part II
Last week, I made the obvious observation that our current social and political climate was a ridiculously fractious one, brought about, in part, by desperate attempts to find meaning and purpose in …
Grace and Truth, Part I
As I’m writing this, we’re all reeling from the aftermath of another contentious election. Politics has always been a dirty business, to be sure, but I don’t remember it having such a bitter, …
Life Without You
It’s really hard to be a mom in today’s culture, even while living in Christian community. In some ways, it may actually be worse. Almost every mom I know fights the temptation to place these crushing …