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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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“His Law is Love and His Gospel is Peace” – Advent Week Three
Truly He taught us to love one another; His law is love and His gospel is peace. Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother; And in His name all oppression shall cease. Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we, Let all within us praise His holy name. Won by Love Though I grew up in a Christian home, I did not become an official follower of Jesus until I was in middle school. Sure, I had begged Jesus many times to come into my heart to save me from Hell, but that fear-based decision wasn’t a conversion at all. It wasn’t until I was an…
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Beauty from Ashes
This morning was rough. I screamed at my toddler. I screamed so loudly that my head hurt afterward. I screamed so loudly that I was afraid that my neighbors, the very same neighbors that a few weeks ago sent me a text stating that Kevin and I were “THE BEST parents”, would hear it and be alarmed. I’m not proud of it. I’m downright ashamed of it. Running on Fumes Here was the scenario: I was running on six hours of sleep and was having an unproductive morning. I wanted to run to the grocery store. I already was frustrated with how long it was taking to get everything in order.…
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Self-Care: Another Form of Sabbath we’ve been Neglecting
There is nothing quite like the stillness of morning. When my babies were little, I did the wise thing and slept as long as they did, often trying to delay the arrival of morning by snuggling them close in bed and nursing them back to sleep as many times as they’d allow. But these days, I set an alarm for at least an hour before those little eyes will open. I’ve crept downstairs in the darkness, lit candles around my living room, stretched out on a yoga mat, and eased into the day. I’ve poured myself a hot cup of coffee, sweetening it with honey, and relished its sweet, earthy…
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Making Memories
The grasses were all around, towering above me like trees. They waved gently in the breeze, greeting me as their friend. The autumnal sun had rendered them golden, had made every part of the scene glow with warmth. While I cannot picture him, I know my dad was there. We were fishing together in some small, peaceful body of water, and I felt small in the best way. Then, the quietness was interrupted with a crescendo of noise, and I looked up to see a flock of geese bursting into my vision, flapping their wings against the blushing sky. It was a moment of wonder, and I can still picture…
