In the month of December, the Christmas story often stands alone, lifted with huge parentheses out of the New Testament—maybe delivered in Linus’s hushed boy soprano, and then tucked away with the durable resin Nativity set and the twinkly white lights until next year. It’s a great story, so it’s easy to see why authors of…
I do not buy those words, sacred and secular, They’ve rent the world in two. They take the magic from how a speck of dust catches the light Or how the cadence of footfall is poetry. They make too much of church casseroles that do not feed the multitudes. Blind adult eyes Miss the…
From the beginning, my husband, Dana, and I planned to keep Christmas simple. Yes, we hung stockings, decorated a tree, and celebrated with gifts. But there were no extravagant wish lists. No blockbuster toys under the tree. No credit card bills lingering into spring. Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas. I love watching ridiculously…
“’The day will come’, says the Lord ‘when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good things I have promised them. In those days and at that time I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. In that day…
A few years ago, when I was recovering from an outpatient surgery, I was struck with a violent and all-encompassing headache. At the suggestion of my surgeon, I was taken to the emergency room for further examination. It was a cold and snowy February day in Chicago. As my mom and I walked into the…