Babies are an incredible gift from God. Their smiles and interactions with us endear them to most people they encounter. They are also weak and in need of constant care and attention. Whatever you may know of them I can promise you this; babies are a lot of work. You do not get a breakContinue reading “Wonder and Time”
Category Archives: Encouragement
Intentional Thoughts
A Starry Night Take a piece of dark paper/wall board/poster board/ etc. Attach this to a wall or some other well-traveled place in your house. Cut out white stars and place near this spot along with a pen. As the days pass take time to write things of thanksgiving, instances of joy or happiness, orContinue reading “Intentional Thoughts”
Embracing Brokenness
Cold. Dark. Lonely. Regular. Expected. Normal. Think of your life and think of tasks that you perform regularly. Maybe you dread them. Maybe you enjoy them. What you do not expect is to be visited by angels. Why do we not expect angels? Should we expect messengers from Heaven? In the circles that I haveContinue reading “Embracing Brokenness”
sitting quietly
It’s Saturday and there are only 13 days that separate you from Christmas. What are the plans for today? Shopping? Cleaning? Baking? Sitting? Whatever your plans, or combination of plans might be, the reality is that most of us don’t expect our world to get turned upside down. If, however, we do find our worldContinue reading “sitting quietly”
The Magnificat | A Declaration
46And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord 47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. 50His mercy extends toContinue reading “The Magnificat | A Declaration”
The Quiet
The Quiet Zechariah has been visited by the angel. Elizabeth is expecting a child. For everyone else though it must seem like everything is still normal. The Judean countryside is still occupied by Roman soldiers. Herod is still working on the Temple, and it’s costing more every month. Food demand and supply seems the same.Continue reading “The Quiet”
Living Out Hope
Elizabeth is over the moon when she finds out that she is expecting a child. When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It wasn’t long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. “So, this is how God acts to remedyContinue reading “Living Out Hope”
Not Now Please
Starting today we will begin to look at the characters that begin to make an appearance prior, and during the first few years of Jesus’ life. as we approach our celebration of his birth. It is my prayer that the reality of each of these individuals will cause us to remember that it is theContinue reading “Not Now Please”
A Welcoming People
To truly embrace the idea of Expectation we let’s think for a few moments on hospitality and welcoming others. When our church hosted the Bethlehem Live for so many years we always included the part where Joseph and Mary are shown to a stable. Exclusion stings. I’ve often wondered exactly what that meant for Jesus’Continue reading “A Welcoming People”
People of Light
To fully learn about expectation, we must find ourselves going back to the garden. Down under the tree, that surely bordered the river, and there we find quite a group. First we see Adam and Eve disgusted with themselves. Disgusted with the tempter. Ultimately disgusted with God, for if we’ve learned anything on this earthContinue reading “People of Light”
