An update on that meaningful little Christmas…
Dear reader, You may recall my stated goal to "have myself a meaningful little Christmas." Well, grab a Christmas cookie and a comfy chair. Here's the rest of the story. Had you asked me how it was going this past Sunday, I would've said everything was right on track and progressing nicely. (Insert your favorite quote about the best laid plans.) The day before my extended
A Christmas Story – Keep Believing to Have Life
For many years now, December the 14th has brought with it a flood of emotions. I suspect it always will. The following story is told with the blessing of my dear friend, Debbie Fortenberry. I offer you this excerpt from my next book, Seizing the Good Life to be released June 13th, 2023. For though it is Debbie's story to tell, she gave her approval to
Have Yourself a Meaningful Little Christmas
The message fell into my heart weeks ago and stayed with me, “Have yourself a Meaningful Little Christmas.” I didn’t know what I was meant to do with it, but I determined to listen. I’ve learned if I’ll value God’s inside voice, He’ll elaborate. Granted, I recognized the gentle spin of the lyrics from the old Christmas classic. I’m not that dense. But any meaning beyond
A Very Merry Christmas Blessing from Our House to Yours!
Christmas Greetings to you and yours! I hope this finds you well, and I pray it finds you worshipping. It's my ongoing experience that unless we are intentional about guarding our faith throughout the Advent season, the activity surrounding it can steal the present tense joy of the greatest gift of all-- Immanuel, God with Us! Let's be careful not to let it happen. Our grown
Finding a Deep and Wide Christmas Advent – Dec. 23rd
Christmas is near, and I hope you and yours enjoy every minute of it! My prayer is that these short devotions have set us up to resist the empty promises the world hawks twenty-four/seven and walk into the deep and wide life Jesus died to give us. It’s impossible to read John without wondering about the discrepancy between the experience of the average believer and the
Finding a Deep and Wide Christmas Advent- Dec. 22nd
The to-do list is long, and time seems short, but we walk among souls God dearly loves. Our opportunity is to stay conscious of Jesus and let Him reach for them through our lives, even as we go about our day. We don’t learn such living in a once and done. We learn it by daring to die to us and live to Him in this
Finding Deep and Wide Advent – Dec. 20th
Caution. We are the most susceptible to reaching for the wrong fix when we’re tired and stressed. Jesus is near, count Him dear and choose well today. Temporary hits can’t satisfy eternal hunger … Whatever we reach for to make ourselves feel better today will become a fix we’ll need more of tomorrow. No amount of acquisitions, affirmations, or acclamations from creation can substitute for the
Finding a Deep and Wide Christmas Advent – Dec. 19th
The Christmas countdown may bring stressful shopping trips and exchanges with the occasional grinch, but you and I are not only called to be Christlike in our response, we’re equipped for it. Immanuel is real world support for all who learn to call on Him. I haven’t yet made it to a place where I’m always saintly, and I don’t live with unlimited patience for those
Finding a Deep and Wide Christmas Advent – Dec. 18th
Christmas may be drawing closer, but for those who have trusted Christ, its promise is already ours! We can say no to the commercialism with its empty promise of the perfect Christmas by saying yes to Immanuel, God with Us, the perfect Savior. We don’t want to try harder to do better, remember? We want to lean harder, and trust Jesus to strengthen our dusty frames
Finding a Deep and Wide Christmas Advent Dec. 17th
People are prone to making us perform to stay in their good graces or do penance if we let them down. We lose big when we allow those experiences to color our relationship with God. No amount of penance before God can secure the favor Christ Jesus has already won on our behalf. I’ve learned to live celebrating the truth that I’m forgiven, accepted, and loved