As we begin a new year, we often have high hopes and expectations. For some reason, the start of a new year - not a new week or new month - really seems to excite us and give us optimism. Yet, we also know that nothing magical happens when we turn the page on the calendar to January; it really...
At the end of the year, it’s not uncommon to have a post that reflects on the events or highlights various discussions over the past year. In a year in which so much has been atypical, I decided to look at some of this year’s blog posts to find something familiar and share some...
On Thanksgiving we often think about the Pilgrims who came to Massachusetts in 1620 (400 years ago ago this year). Since these settlers came to America for the sake of religious freedom, we might wonder how they celebrated Christmas. Interestingly enough, they didn’t celebrate Christmas at...
Many are familiar with the song, “Mary, Did You Know?”. It was first released in 1991 (the words were written in 1984) and has been recorded and performed in various venues and contexts. It strikes at the heart of a conversation I’ve had with so many about what it would have...
A few weeks ago I bought myself an early Christmas present - a recently released book about the thoughts and ideas of John Stott, an influential British pastor and author who went home to glory in 2011. I read through it quickly, and I really enjoyed this opportunity to dig deeper into...
What do you think of when you hear the word Advent? Candles? Wreathes? Nativity scenes (known as a crèche)? Calendars filled with chocolate (yum!)? Panic as the number of shopping days until Christmas decreases?!? Christians around the world have been celebrating Advent for years...
The pandemic we are experiencing will most likely affect some traditional Thanksgiving celebrations and perhaps even cloud our ability to be thankful because of what we have lost and/or are missing. However, we need to remember that while Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on...
