Stop. Come Together. (My Favorite Christmas YouTube Video This Week)
If you haven’t seen this one yet, I recommend it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6RlCSSbBXk I love that folks stop and come together for a few moments. Rushing, rushing, rushing, we forget to stop and come together. We forget the why of it all. _________________________Enjoy your Thursday!
Through My Being With You
Today I read in Philippians 2:25 Paul reason’s for continuing in ministry even though he just wanted to depart to be with Jesus. He writes, “I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again […]
Unparalleled, Unique, and Exclusive
I’m teaching characterization this week, so we’re talking all about vivid, unique descriptions. We want characters so unique in our writing that they cannot be interchanged with anyone else. And we want descriptions that avoid any type of cliche. Tomorrow, we’ll write down a description of ourselves and see if everyone else can match the […]
Small Things in Forgotten Places
This morning on the walk to school, we find that someone–an elf?–has begun to decorate the ignored, forgotten, and miserable little pine tree that grows in the woods. We’ve seen the misshapen Christmas tree every morning for six years. But today, we find it cared for and decorated. It’s a very little thing, but we’re […]
Considering Himself Nothing
This morning, I realize that the Christmas season–more than anything else–is about God who “made himself nothing” and “took on the nature of a servant” (Philippians 2). It’s unfathomable. The One who should be served, serves. What would it mean for us if we “made ourselves nothing?” If we “took on the nature of a […]
Come, Let Us Adore
I’m standing in the kitchen listening to the old song, O Come, All Ye Faithful, and I think about how, since the 13th century, worshipers have praised Jesus Christ by singing this hymn. I love the invitation, “Come let us adore Him.” I think about the way one might stand in utter amazement and worship […]
Pull Through
I find myself talking to a woman who has suffered through chronic pain and fatigue for most of her life. She tells me all the ways she’s adapted; mostly, she’s learned to rest well and accept her limitations. This means she doesn’t live the way others live. This means she lives with the acute reality […]
Why the Wilderness?
My husband reminds me of Deuteronomy 8 this morning, in particular this part beginning in verse 2: Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his […]
Turkey Leftovers? Easy Turkey Pot Pie
I love easy and fast, so here you go: You get two ready-to-bake pie crusts from the grocery store and put one of the crusts in a pie pan. Mix two cups of chopped leftover turkey, a can of cream of chicken soup (or mushroom or celery), a bag of frozen mixed vegetables (or a […]
Lost on the Way
Today we walk to school with a little boy who has never seen the snow. He moved this year from Texas, and today is his very first day seeing, tasting, and touching snow. Seeing the morning snow through his eyes fills us with wonder again. It’s amazing to think about: fluffy flakes of white fall […]