Tag Archives: Christmas
To Carol or Not to Carol
This past Sunday, we hosted an old-fashioned Pastor’s Christmas Open House at our place where 50 people from both of our churches gathered for a few hours of cookies and conversation. We had a blast hosting everyone as we really … Continue reading
Awkward Family Christmas: Pt. 1
Yesterday, at Hope and Magnolia churches, we began a new series called “Awkward Family Christmas.” On the Sunday’s leading up to Christmas, we’ll be looking at some of the people in Jesus’ genealogy found in Matthew 1 and consider the … Continue reading
A Child’s Prayer
The other night at dinner our eldest daughter, Abbie, prayed this line as part of her dinner blessing- “Help us to be proactive in loving our neighbors.” I was caught off-guard for a few reasons. First, that she used proactive … Continue reading
The Real War on Christmas
A couple of years ago, I wrote a post called Battleground: Christmas where I shared my feelings over “the war on Christmas.” While you should go back and read the post, the short end of it is this: Relax Christians! We … Continue reading
Elf on the Shelf and Discipling Children
It is no secret among my friends that I am not a big fan of The Elf of the Shelf- the widely popular little guy who gets into mischief each night leading up to Christmas. It is interesting to see … Continue reading
Resources for Advent 2014
One of the favorite memories as a kid was the Advent Countdown that my mom made my sister and I. Each day of Advent, we’d get a piece of candy and countdown the days until Christmas. It was a way … Continue reading
Beautiful Feet
The prophet Isaiah writes, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings Good News, the Good News of peace and salvation, the Good News that the God of Israel reigns.” Isaiah 52:7 (NLT) Imagine living … Continue reading
The Absence of God
I’ve been reading Eugene Peterson’s book, Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places, very slowly this Fall. The other day I came across a line that has been on my heart and mind ever since. He writes, “The story in which God … Continue reading
What Are You Waiting For?
I’m not very good at waiting- or sitting still for that matter. If you call me on the phone, I usually have to stand up and pace around while we talk. But there is nothing like having to “hurry up … Continue reading
Battleground: Christmas
It’s that time of year again when Christians and Non-Christians join in our annual bickering over Christmas. It’s a culture war that won’t go away. Just type in “War on Christmas” in Google and having fun reading! Christians get upset … Continue reading
Exiled Community 