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“O Come Let Us Adore Him” – Advent Week Four
O Come All Ye Faithful Joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem. Come and behold Him, Born the King of Angels; O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord! Come Yesterday, I attended the funeral of a friend’s father. While I had only met the man once, I shed many tears during the service as friends and loved ones shared, especially hearing about his passionate love for Christ and others. The church was overwhelmingly filled with people who had been recipients of that love, and it was truly humbling to see the impact…
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“Amid the Cold of Winter, When Half Spent Was the Night” – Advent Week Two
Lo, how a Rose e’er blooming From tender stem hath sprung! Of Jesse’s lineage coming, As men of old have sung. It came, a flow’ret bright, Amid the cold of winter, When half spent was the night. Darkness Eight years ago, I went through a dark night of the soul. As a result of an unusual circumstance in which my safety was compromised, I began to descend into a deep valley, one overgrown with anxiety, loneliness, and doubt. The worst of it was around Christmastime. Instead of the love, hope, joy, and peace characterized with the season, I was experiencing incapacitating fear, hopelessness, depression, and unrest. And I endured…
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“Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room” – Advent Week One
The Christmas story is familiar to many of us. We know that Mary delivered Jesus and laid in him a manger because there was no room for them. This reflection is focused on what it means to make room in our hearts for Jesus.
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Why and How to Celebrate Advent
I love the Christmas season. I get giddy thinking about twinkle lights, peppermint-mocha lattes, and a Michael W. Smith Christmas album. The days are filled with sending and receiving Christmas cards, shopping for loved ones, wrapping gifts, cutting out paper snowflakes, watching movies, making cookies, attending festive events, and excitedly anticipating the actual day. But I’ve had years when I’ve woken up on December 26th with guilt falling in my soul like a heavy snow. Amid the sadness of the season’s passing, I’ve realized I hardly reflected on Christ’s arrival. Sure, I had fun. But did I even take the time to appreciate what the whole season means? Advent…
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Everyday Gratitude
In a few days, Thanksgiving will be over. But giving thanks doesn’t have to be. I love Thanksgiving. Not only do I enjoy the fun, food, feasting, and fellowship, but I think it’s beautiful to have a season in which we reflect on what we are thankful for. It forces us to be reflective, permits us to recognize how much we’ve been blessed. I think it also makes us all a bit more cheerful; focusing on the positive things in life is good for us. It makes us more patient with our kids, more appreciative of our spouses, more optimistic about humanity in general. But a few months from…
