How much is your relationship with God worth? What are you willing to exchange for the blessing God has for you? What issues and agendas are you willing to pursue in spite of the effect on your faith, your witness, and your life? We all have something, or some-things, that we get so attached to that we let them affect the meaningful parts of our […]
Here is a holiday acrostic poem for Christmas. May you be blessed with all the joy, wonder, awe and life that is Christmas and may the light of the Infant-King illumine your life and shine through you to light the world. Tidings come from God’s own faceHeralding his incarnate graceEnter shepherds beneath the sky Keeping there, a watchful eyeIn an instant, angelic hostNoble King, of […]
The story of the first Christmas is filled with images to remember and celebrate. The drama around Elizabeth’s pregnancy and the birth of her son John, the annunciation of the coming King to Mary and then to Joseph, the stable in Bethlehem, and the host of angels declaring good news to shepherds, these are some of the images the season brings to mind. One important […]
“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face” – Victor Hugo Sometimes, it is hard to laugh; hard to find the joy in the moment or the day. Circumstances mixed with our emotional position can deeply affect our mood and our feelings, leaving us without the feeling of joy or a desire to laugh. This morning, I awoke with the gift of […]
Kindness is a wonderful thing. It is great to receive and equally wonderful to give. It can multiply the joyous times of life and bring the light of hope into the darkest seasons. My devotions recently led me to a wonderful reflection on kindness in the form of a story from the ancient Christians: Abba Moses was asked to travel to another community to pass […]
I love snow. I look forward to it every year, and as I mentioned in a previous post, my family celebrates the first day of snow as a very special day. Not everyone shares our opinion. In fact, every time one of us expresses our love of snow, some of our friends make a point of reminding us of the dangers and challenges snow […]
“Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” – Luke 2:15 How far would you go to celebrate Christmas? More than mileage, what would you be willing to do to experience the full meaning of this special season? What is Christmas worth to you? The Gospel of Luke tells the story […]
What does God want for Christmas? It may sound like a strange question, but it may be the most important one we answer in this season. As we approach the holiday, many of us are scurrying to make all of the necessary preparations for our family and friends. There is food to buy, decorations to find and hang, and, of course, presents to buy. In […]
Where will you be when Christmas finds you? It happened to me tonight in a most unexpected way. This morning, I was in the office commiserating with someone who shared my sense that it just did not feel like Christmas. Sure, many of our presents are already purchased, and yes, the carols have been playing in the stores and in our car. There is even […]
Some memories are dangerous. Some are dangerous to remember and others are dangerous to forget. Last night, I happened to meet a colleague while we were out with our daughter. In the midst of our conversation, he reminded me of a memory from my life that was dangerously close to being forgotten. He said, “I remember a few years ago, when you were sick over […]