The most wonderful thing about “God with us” might also be the most perplexing thing. ...
With Christmas just around the bend, gifts are on my mind. Sunday, my family will light the third Advent candle in church, reminding us of the gift chosen for Mary to bear. Last...
“Congratulations!” my friend Kristin said as I climbed to my place on the risers. We took out our folders and pencils, preparing...
I’ve been Christmas shopping online and watching as boxes seem to magically appear on my front stoop. Hey, anything to keep from...
Research on gratitude and appreciation demonstrates that when employees feel valued, they have high job satisfaction, are willing to work longer hours, engage in productive relationships with co...
Our first three-day holiday weekend living in Switzerland was the worst. We sat around eating bowls of dry cereal that tasted like sawdust, while the kids cast mournful glances at the refrigerator...
Advent is waiting time, the season of making room for the coming King and the returning King. It is an embodied palindrome...
As a conscientious kid who loved to please, nothing terrified me more than criticism. While some classmates seemed to delight in provoking adults into screaming fits, even a mild frown from a...
As the holiday shopping season begins, we take a look at seven retail companies that are setting the right example—bringing high ethical...
After reading of divine judgment in Isaiah 34, chapter 35 comes as a pleasant shock. Here we glimpse a vision of the...
“Oh, that meal,” she says arching brows above her familiar blue marble eyes, “I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.” After scouring...
These days, if we even use the word "repent" in common discourse, we emphasize feeling bad for something we have done. "I...
Within the first few weeks of my freshman year of college, I found a church around the corner from my dorm that...
An appreciation for beautiful things is a defining characteristic of a fully lived human life.
As we read this passage from Psalm 72, we stand within earshot of King David, who is praying intimately for his son...
I have very few regrets in life, but my earliest one is from tee-ball. I forgot to bring home the signup sheet to register for the tee-ball season. Somehow, at the tender age...
The prophecies of Isaiah weave together judgment and forgiveness, doom and hope. God’s judgment is coming to Israel for her persistent disobedience...
What I remember clearly is looking up from what I was reading and feeling as if someone had issued a challenge directly...
I woke up the other day feeling a little bit, well - off.
Jack comes to me as I stir oatmeal on the stove. He tap dances in place, excitement oozing from him. “Do you...
