Christmas arrives in less than a week. In homes where we've been intense pain, our childlike hearts look forward to shared joys and enchanting moments we will remember in coming years. We also prepare to exchange gifts with those we love. For some, the sorrows of loss and suffering darken…
Ever contemplate the gifts of Christ when you admire a creche? Nativity scenes often imply three wise men visited the newborn Savior on the first Christmas. Scholars believe the visit might have occurred a bit later than the night of Jesus' birth and no specific number of magi are mentioned in…
The first Christmas arrived during a bleak season for God's people. Israel shivered in the shadows of oppression and poverty. Iron-fisted pagans enforced their rule through barbaric crucifixions. Even their fellow countrymen succombed to corruption and betrayal. Prophecies had ceased four hundred years prior, so the growing cries of Israel seemed…
Food, family, and festivities rush us through Thanks-mas into next year's calendar. We fuss and bustle, scurrying from one restless day to another in an attempt to "do" the holidays properly. Or survive them, at least. Expectations and expenses squeeze us until our temples throb from the pressure. The harder we…
Pudgy orange veggies clutter the shop aisles. Their cousins tumble over one another in great mounds at the street corners. Yet, the masses seek them as if expecting a shortage. From giant prize winners to tiny table toppers, people gather them into their trunks. Addicts line up for regular doses…
LED strands wind through plastic branches, grabbing the hooks of metallic globes. Cinnamon sticks plunk into tidy rows of cider mugs. Cookies huddle onto platters and store shelves brim over with packages. Christhannukwanzolidays strode into our community, complete with all the fixings. The trimmings themselves have not cut Christ from Christmas.…