Encounter God here
The roast turkey that we enjoyed so much on Christmas day just keeps going and going. Saturday was hot turkey sandwiches, Sunday was turkey salad, and today will find me standing at the counter picking its meaty bones. Picking the bones … Read more
This past Christmas, I became more and more aware of the commercialism of the season. We were talking to one family in which everybody buys a present for everybody in the family. Certainly, there are financial constraints arising from … Read more
Everything God does on earth has a purpose for humanity, so I have been intrigued by His purpose behind the manger scene and the obvious poverty of the animal stalls and the manger bed. We are so used to the nativity scene with the manger … Read more
It was a cold Christmas Eve. I found myself very comfortable within the lobby of my assisted living residence, conversing with staff members who were on duty. In the corner of a small sitting area, a highly customized manger scene had … Read more
I was eleven years old in Budapest during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Many Hungarians used that brief slit in the Iron Curtain to flee to the west. For domestic as well as political reasons, my 17-year-old brother took off in the … Read more
Pastor Phillips Brooks was known as a great orator in his day. Ironically, though, after visiting the actual site of Jesus' birth, he was moved beyond words. For the first time in his life, he was speechless — unable to communicate the … Read more
Recently, I read the story behind a popular Christmas carol, the song we all know and love, called "O little town of Bethlehem". The author, Phillips Brooks, lived during the civil war, a dark and tragic period in American history. … Read more
I received Christmas greetings from a friend today, and the e-mail subject line was "Marry Christmas". This struck me as funny: I don't really know anyone named Christmas, so who was I supposed to marry? I mentioned it to a friend, and she … Read more
In many churches, the traditional ways of worship have changed. The order of service is not as rigid as it used to be. Some ministers interact with the congregation, and some people even reply. There was a time when we did not laugh in … Read more
As the dogs and I watched the horizon, patiently waiting for the sun to rise sufficiently for us to go for our walk, I silently counted the days until December 21st, the shortest day of the year, signifying that on the morrow the darkness … Read more