“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots” ~Isaiah 11:1 When I was younger (we’re talking teen years here), I tended to skip over the portions of the Bible that lay out genealogies. Admittedly, I didn’t get the point. I thought…
People often groan, sigh, or give me pitying looks when I tell them my birthday is December 26. They ask questions like, “Is it awful?” or “Do people get you one gift for both?” I turned thirty-five this year, and by now I’m used to these reactions. It can be tough to have a birthday…
One of my favorite things to do during the Christmas season is get up early, snuggle under a cozy fleece blanket with coffee cup in hand, and gaze at our Christmas tree as it dimly lights the room. In Michigan, more often than not the ground outside the window is covered in white, glistening snow….
It wasn’t the gift I expected, but it promised forever. On our second Christmas as a couple, I held a secret wish in my heart as I sat next to the Christmas tree. David and I planned to exchange vows in August of the coming year. In my mind, Christmas seemed like the ideal time…
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. ~Jesus Do you know which song elicits the most tears from a roomful of teens? If you had asked me this question a year and a half ago, I wouldn’t have known the answer. A year and a half ago, our family came to…
Mary heard God’s voice in a world that wasn’t listening anymore. When the angel Gabriel appeared, she was confident his message was from the Lord, even though it had been so long since God had spoken. Only a few remembered–and heeded–his last words. Four hundred years earlier, God had last spoken to the Jewish people…