Who would leave the shepherds out of the Christmas story? Not me, that's for sure. You see, I'm one of them. The passage from Luke says there were shepherds in the fields that night, keeping watch over their flocks by night. Think about … Read more

One of our Christmas traditions is to remember the whole Christmas story as told in Luke 2. Many people will have a creche in their homes, and some people will start by putting out the angels and an empty manger, and then, as Advent … Read more

Luke is careful throughout his gospel to place Jesus in history. That was important back then, because there were so many "mystery" and "fertility" religions which claimed to have miraculous births and gods who died and rose again. So, … Read more

I received a long-distance call from a friend a while back. She was awaiting news of the birth of her first grandchild, and, lest she be tempted to call and check on the progress every so often, chose to call and talk to me. We managed … Read more

Over the years, as I've been privileged to travel in a variety of countries, I've seen many unusual sights. One of the most memorable was when my sister and I stayed in Venice, Italy, for a few days before a cruise. We were walking through … Read more

The grandkids raced to my house, all excited and yelling about the big tree that their dad had just purchased. I discovered that it was a ten-foot-tall, cone-shaped Christmas tree completely encircled by white LED lights with a … Read more

Lord, maybe what I need this Christmas is a new pair of spiritual eyeglasses, ones that would let me see the hope and trust those ill people had in You, so even if they have died, as we on earth call it, we know they are alive forever … Read more

Recently at a school nearby, I noticed a long line of children walking two-by-two around the perimeter cinder track being led by a teacher. Further back, I noticed more children and more teachers. Curiosity got the better of me and my dog … Read more

As I was wheeled to my room in the hospital, my eyes brimmed with tears. I knew that I hadn't felt well, but I never guessed that I would be admitted that day with blood clots in my lungs. I passed the big Christmas tree in the middle of … Read more

In 1965/66, I was living in a work camp near the city of Muscat in Oman. Muscat was a very compact city at that time. There were many shops and residences, a bank, an agent to import and export goods, and a small hospital called the … Read more