It's a well documented fact that I'm not good at keeping New Year's resolutions. My ambitious diet and exercise goals usually go the way of last month's wrapping paper and packaging, and aggressive reading goals like "read more books" get gobbled up by January's schedule. It feels like a sad commentary on an undisciplined adult. So several years ago, rather than documenting what I was going to DO, I decided to document what I'd already done. And in only one arena: Reading. I resolved to "keep … [Read more...]
On Caring for Yourself without Rolling Your Eyes
Self-Care. Stop right there. Did you just roll your eyes? I did. Or at least I used to. “Self care” sounded like a personality assessment, painted toe nails, and coffee with an elaborate drawing in the foamed milk. It seemed less than helpful to me. I mean, as believers in Jesus, aren’t we supposed to spend ourselves on behalf of the poor (Isaiah 58:10)? And shouldn’t we to consider others as better than ourselves (Phillipians 2:3)? And don’t we work heartily as though we’re working for … [Read more...]
On that First Christmas…
On that first Christmas, just moments after Jesus was born, it probably appeared to Joseph that the long-expected Messiah had arrived at an inappropriate place with no fanfare or announcement at all. Between the baby's delivery and the shepherd's disturbance, Joseph might have thought he was the only one. God had hidden from Joseph many future events. He knew Jesus was God’s Son, born to save His people from their sins. And for Joseph, at this moment, that was all God chose to show him. And … [Read more...]
Merry Christmas 2017
Merry Christmas from my crew to yours! I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to entertain you with a Letellier family parody on "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Unfortunately, (or perhaps fortunately!) my creativity was only good for six days worth of parodies. You'll have to work a little to fit the traditional melody around the Letellier lyrics, and you'll have to start in the middle of the song... 6 months of basketball. 5 cell phones. 4 licensed drivers. 3 ball game … [Read more...]
How to Read the Christmas Story as if for the First Time
Barbara Robinson’s classic novel, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, has been read and performed in classrooms, Sunday school rooms, homes, and community theaters. For 45 years readers have giggled, wondered, and maybe even cried with narrator Beth Bradley as she introduced us to the Herdman children--“the worst kids in the history of the world.” All six of them smoked, stole, and fought. And “Since none of the Herdmans had ever gone to church or Sunday school or read the Bible or … [Read more...]
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