The pastor asked the elderly, childless widow, “What can I do for you?” Her simple response: “Don’t forget me.” I heard the same cry in…
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This week Tamar joins us on our Journey to Christmas. Tamar’s story rivals any soap opera for drama and evokes emotional empathy for a sister who experiences…
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What should we do while we are waiting for the Lord to “make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the…
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“I was sitting behind you at the Thanksgiving Eve service and I am so glad I got to see how ornery your boys are! It gives me hope as I…
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Throughout the Psalms, we read the lament, “How long, oh Lord, how long?” Many of you whisper or shout that…
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Our kids call Chuck’s mother, Situ, Lebanese for grandmother. Situ is with Jesus but laughter often fills the room when family gathers and we share Situ memories. Every Christmas, someone…
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Between now and Christmas, we are pulling back the curtains on the lives of five women: a wounded widow, a professional prostitute, an indomitable immigrant, a bathing beauty and a terrified teenager. Each…
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I was about fifteen years old when my very talented, artistic mother coached me to sing All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth for a holiday talent contest. Seconds before I…
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So what is a “midwife of the Messiah”? The Apostle Paul challenged Pastor Titus to “teach the older women so that they could teach the younger women” how to walk by faith in their own personal lives. Each o…
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How many of us miss Christmas, but not just Christmas, how many of us miss the joy of following the real star of Christmas…
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This promise confronted me with a choice. There was only one treasure I wanted - our son, Mark. Since I knew…
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While others eagerly anticipate the arrival of long-distance family members with hopes of recreating the simple joys of Christmas traditions, some…
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The Star of Bethlehem, well, we don’t know if it was a star, a comet, or even an angel. But whatever it was, it led the Magi to Bethlehem…
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The baby is born, mother and father breathe a sigh of relief and revel in the glory of this newborn son, wrapping Him in “swaddling clothes”, and placing Him in a…
Family problems? Join the Holy family. Imagine your 15-year-old daughter (or daughter-in-law-to-be) standing at your bedroom door and stuttering, "Mom…
About a month after the death of our son, Mark, we traveled to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for our annual extended family…
On Christmas Eve and day, our first Christmas without Mark, I wrote in my journal: Well, Lord, here I am. Christmas Eve. Running until I drop. Trying not to think…
"Your mother has six other children. Why is it so important for you and your family to go to her house for Thanksgiving? She might be…
Children in foster care and many adopted children deeply grieve during the holidays, even little ones. They may not understand why they are…
As I mentioned in Sunday’s devotional, about two weeks before Thanksgiving every year I begin to feel disorganized, disconnected…