Mary the maidservant of the Lord found herself in an unimaginable situation. A child grew within her, Son of the Highest, without human father and apart from the curse of sin. Fully human. Fully God. Completely Holy. “…That Holy One who is born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35; NKJV. It was […]
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I’ve often wondered why the good news came first to shepherds. They weren’t influential or powerful. They had a hard time keeping the Sabbath because sheep needed constant protection. Shepherds were willing to die to protect their lambs from the perils of wild animals and steep ravines. They were just common folk. Like me. Abraham, […]
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Baby Luca cries that heart wrenching pierce of a little soul in despair. It stabs my own as I jiggle him up and down against me, that continual parental dance. My grandson’s body melts into mine but the out of control cries and deep gasps for air continue. “Here, let me try,” his daddy makes […]
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“and of his kingdom there will be no end…” the angel told Mary. Luke 1:32-33; ESV. “This takes forever,” my husband complained, scrutinizing his blank computer screen. Forever is a very long time. “I waited an eternity,” I said after waiting five minutes in a long line of shoppers. With a sigh my daughter sat […]
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Christmas commercials, jingles, and reindeer are pleasant interruptions to sour evening news. Current events shine stadium lights on our culture’s rampant sin. World rulers add a sense of insecurity and fear. We long for deliverance. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been […]
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One tiny fist stretches high above my newborn grandson’s head. Like a miniature superman ready for take off he poses against the soft blue blanket where he lies. He uncurls his legs, elongating, stiffening, pushing. A yawn as big as a canyon, sweet as a kiss contorts his velvet cheeks. And for his parents, the […]
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Flour whitens the front of my shirt like snow. I brush at it fruitlessly with a hand sticky with wrinkled bits of dough like hanging chads. My counter space, with its strict no fly-zone is littered with ingredients and pans. I brush my arm against my forehead and look at the mess. Am I in […]
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God is always on time, yet I often wonder why He waits so long. I tilt the scissor’s blade against the length of bright red ribbon. Curls slither through my fingers in tiny ringlets where they bunch against a shiny Christmas box making a colorful bow. Time, like strands of ribbon, moved through generations waiting […]
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Proclamation 118—Thanksgiving Day, 1864 October 20, 1864 Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby appoint and set apart the last Thursday in November next as a day which I desire to be observed by all my fellow-citizens, wherever they may then be, as a day of thanksgiving and praise to […]
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[republished from November 2014, also published at Metro Voice News KC p.12] Thanksgiving tangled with unanswered prayers. I slumped against the antiseptic tiled hallway. My stalwart, “Hang on and hold it in,” gave way to unrestrained tears like prisoners let free. Crystal rivulets dropped to the floor at my feet. Each time I exited my daughter’s hospital […]
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