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[bl]I[/bl] savored the sweet Christmas days of husband home, seven upstairs sleeping, children creating, the couch holding us often, the mornings starting late, frequent visitors, and a messy home. And just when I began anticipating the days of the new year, my body surrendered to a virus. The aching from head to toe kind. I stay in bed. The children attempt school without me. The littles run wild. I surface only to satisfy my role as chef and referee. But mostly I rest. In my loud, active, busy home I wait for healing. I want the kind of home that heals. […]

“In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” [bl]A[/bl]ll beginnings need to begin with the Word. In the Word. Because the only way to begin anything is through Jesus. Healing begins with him. Discovery begins with him. True living begins with him. Satisfaction begins with him. Hope begins with him. It’s divinely good that the birth of […]

We come to know God. The afterglow of Christmas has me looking and listening for God to reveal himself. Jesus is God in the flesh, God making himself known to man. So after Jesus is born, we can expect to see and hear God. To know him more fully. Over the past few weeks I’ve been verbally expressing my frustration with a particular loved one. He is facing consequences of a poor decision. The problem is, these consequences don’t just affect him. They’re bleeding into my life and I resent it. I literally spoke the words out loud to myself […]

[bl]J[/bl]esus can’t be born in you and you stay the same. He changes everything. Your life must respond to his presence. He no longer only dwells within you – growing and expanding your life – now he’s delivered unto you a life to give to others. This is you living differently. This is you thinking of others before you think of yourself. This is you compassionate about the people God loves. This is you concerned for injustice. This is you loving through grace-filled eyes. This is you hopeful for redemption. This is you taking love risks. You, open for the […]

The Christmas story is like no other. A broken World. A created people separated from their God through sin. The prophets recalling and anticipating divine acts. God, unfolding his story. A covenant with Abram. God’s promise of love and grace to all he created. Set apart and holy Israel, unfaithful to their calling. People in need of a Savior. A miraculous conception. A Creator like no other. A baby in a manger. God born in humility. Mary and Joseph welcoming their son. Mankind receiving their Messiah. A stable to labor and deliver. Environments of grace are where God births life. […]

[bl]C[/bl]hristmas Eve is full of anticipation. The eagerness for morning to come. The curiosity of what will be under the tree. The wondering of how the babe in swaddling will change the coming year. We wait. We can’t sleep. We hope. I wonder how Mary felt in the final moments of her laboring. She was giving birth to a Savior! What does that feel like? Surely the anticipation was too great. The curiosity unbearable. The wonderment so intense. It’s easy to forget the human emotions and reactions that must have been present in this divine moment intentionally entangled in humanity. […]

[bl]T[/bl]is the season of giving and receiving. The very heart of hospitality. And knowing how to do both with grace is a gift in and of itself. All giving, even that which is wrapped in paper and tied with bows, ought to be from the heart. Simple gestures and graces to hold that communicate I know you. I care about you. I thought of you. I want to provide for you. And all receiving is a heart gift as well. Welcoming into your life what others offer you. With genuine gratitude, authentic appreciation spoken or shown. So when we make […]

[bl]D[/bl]o you feel him moving? Stirring inside of you? Stretching, pushing against you? His life growing larger and stronger, more complete…ready to be born? These are the days we are expecting. Waiting for Jesus who has come, is here, and will come again. This ever present, ever coming God is continually conceiving life in his people, expanding them, and delivering redemption in this world. We are the stable, the humble human dwelling Jesus is born. Are you available? Do you have room for him to be born in you? If not, then Christmas needs to begin with making room. In […]

[bl]I[/bl] believe in the hospitality of food. The way it invites people to gather and taste of its goodness. Oh that we might do the same. Since the beginning of time, food has brought people together. It’s central to our daily routines, our holiday celebrations, and the focus of many stories throughout Scripture. Though we live in a time and place where we choose our food based on how it looks, how cheap it is, and whether or not it pleases our tongue – feeding ourselves is one of the more intimate things we do to our bodies. The problem is, […]