When we’re not center stage, we tend to think life isn’t fair. When life isn’t fair, I try to remember 4 things I learned from the Christmas story. This age-old story has hidden truths if we but open the Playbook and look. When I was a child, my family attended a Christmas cantata every year in a neighboring town. The characters, songs, and script were different every year, but the story remained the same. One … Read more
All I Want for Christmas. When it comes to getting ready for Christmas, I admit that I can get caught up in the frantic frenzy of holiday hustle in this season. I confess that I make my lists and try to get things crossed off in efficient order. Each year, I think there’s got to be a better way to do Christmas! I try to be more organized, plan ahead, and discard the unnecessary events and … Read more
Hanging next to the picture window in the living room was an old picture, painted on glass. Two trees stood alone and forlorn at the edge of a wood. The view outside the window held hundreds of trees. Some tall, some short. Maples. Oak trees. Walnut trees, and others. I sat in a chair facing that window one dreary, rainy day when I was a child. I looked at the picture and then out the window. … Read more
Thanksgiving. For some people, it signifies emptiness, loneliness, and hopelessness. The world over, families will get together sometime over the long holiday weekend. For some, the days will be happy and full. For others, there will be tension and strife. For still others, there will be no one with whom to celebrate or share. These folks won’t “be in the mood” to celebrate anything. To top it off, there’s another holiday coming up four weeks … Read more
The Letter The owner’s name was Philemon, and the name of his slave, Onesimus. This one chapter book in the New Testament is a letter written to the slave owner. You can find that letter sandwiched right between Titus and Hebrews. The letter to Philemon is from the apostle Paul, and it deals with the run-away slave, Onesimus. The part in this letter that tears at my heart is in verse 12. I am sending … Read more