I remember the whitewashed lettering painted across the red barn - Peace on Earth. Each December a towering star lit the way for the message to sink into the hearts of all who traveled the country road. In the darkness of the winter sky, one couldn’t help but ponder the way of peace. Decades later, the elusiveness of peace still surrounds the season, now more than ever. When the world is still spinning in the uncertainty of COVID variants, rising inflation, and political tensions, peace is a much sought-after commodity. We've found ourselves wrestling with more than was ever expected, and although we've acquired a greater appreciation for family time, self-care, and work/life balance, we're still left grappling with the residue of 2021 and the stress of busily making the most of the Continue Reading
Hope in the Savoring
I’m not sure if what I love most about the holidays are the lights, the smells or the tastes. sweet gingerbread fresh from the oven, the earthy scent of pine, serenades of Michael Buble and Bing Crosby, warm candles glowing, hot chocolate, peppermint, and marshmallows It's all a whirlwind for the senses and for the soul. And in this whirlwind, I tend to get lost in the excess. I plunge into overload, all for the sake of savoring the experience of Christmas instead of the hope of Christmas. Because I don't want to be reminded of how hard life is during the holidays. The truth is we can expend so much energy in trying to forget that we miss out on the true gift of hope lying unwrapped beneath the broken layers of our heart. a marriage hanging by a thinning Continue Reading
The Christmas Ninja
Too many years have gone by to remember names, but the image on Christmas morning is forever etched in my mind. We were newlyweds, celebrating our first Ohio Christmas together, both of us bored out of our minds. The tiny “blink and you’ll miss it” country town held little charm and even less in the way of evening entertainment. Our first ministry in the brick church by the railroad tracks wasn’t going so well, and we had lacked hope that our efforts were making any lasting impact on the community. I’m not really sure how it all came about because we really had no extra money to speak of. But we were both hungry for something more. When the opportunity to give hope presents itself, it’s a good idea to grab hold and let it take us places we might not normally go. We Continue Reading
7 Promises to Silence Doubt: Hope for the Holidays
Sometimes finding and hanging onto hope throughout the holidays is a daunting task, especially in the face of lingering doubt. I feel it strong this season. A kind of doubt that snuffs out hope as soon as the prayers leave my lips. And my heart is weary of crying out for God to move. This mountain grows with every word uttered toward the heavens. The faith that stands warrior-strong today yields to questions and doubts as tomorrow dawns. Is God really listening? Does He hear my heart cry? Why can't I hear Him in the midst of all this silence? When will this mountain give way? I wonder if all this hope I'm supposed to grab hold of is meant for someone else. If I've somehow missed out on the secret. If I'll forever be swimming upstream, and if faith is some empty formula Continue Reading