1st Corinthians 12: 12-27 “Who would like to lead us in some Christmas carols?” John, our pastor, stood up front with the microphone, trying to marshal everyone’s attention. It was Christmas Eve, and excitement filled the air. “Joel’s a really good singer,” Amy called out. Joel grinned and walked toward the front of the church. [...]

Growing up, Christmas was all about the presents piled under the tree. My favorite childhood Christmas was the year I unwrapped a brand-new pair of ice skates, a record player for my collection of 45’s, and “The Complete Sherlock Holmes.” Heaven! I still enjoy prettily wrapped presents under the tree. But these days my favorite [...]

And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring [...]

It’s dark this time of year. I awake in the dark, eat dinner in the dark, take walks in the dark. Not to mention the dark cloud that falls when I turn on the news or open the morning paper. War. Rumors of war. Biological weapons. Terrorists plotting mass destruction. Even in the beginning, men [...]

Recuperating from the chaos that was Christmas 2009, I can’t help but smile as I look back at what ended up being the calm at the eye of the storm. The day before Christmas Eve I had worked myself into a tizzy (aka panic mode) because I had waited until the last minute to make [...]

“And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring [...]