One of my dearest friends lay in the cold Kansas soil. November winds blew the tree limbs outside the window where we sat. My husband and I listened as the grieving spouse talked, his sorrow, like tears fell on our ears. “There’s something about skin,” he said. “Yesterday, I walked on icy pavement. I waited […]
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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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Herod the Great ruled Jerusalem and its surrounding villages with cruelty and deceit. His ruthless murders made him almost as famous as the magnificent building projects he instituted. During his reign, an entourage of distinguished travelers from the East came to Jerusalem. Their entrance into the massive doors of the city must have created a […]
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I’m hacking into the New Year. Struck down on Christmas Day with a cold and fever, and pushing through the fog ever since. From my sick bed, I watch the New Year roll into New York City. My fever doesn’t help with clarity, but I’ve never had a lot when it comes to bringing in […]
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On November 26 our twelfth grandchild entered the world. It occurred, appropriately, just hours before Thanksgiving. Our son sent a picture of our brand new grandson cradled in his arms minutes after the birth. The baby’s eyes and his daddy’s eyes gazed into one another. There is something soul-searching in that picture; the new father […]
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