Rain is falling in NW Arkansas, but that isn’t all…hail peppered my deck and rattled against the house a few minutes ago. Lightning, thunder–what is this? Isn’t the official start of winter less than a week away? Doesn’t Christmas wait just around the corner? Could it be that autumn is having a hissy fit at […]
Christmas Lights and Quiet Thoughts
·Our family has the tradition of lighting Advent candles on the Sundays before Christmas, then readingĀ Scripture. The soft glow of the candle is peaceful and silent but it reflects a powerful message of hope and love. I wish that our world would stop for a moment and absorb this quietness and peace. Doesn’t Scripture […]
The Magic of Music
·Last night, I was privileged to hear junior and senior high school choirs in their annual Christmas concert. There’s something almost magical about beautiful music. The choirs sang traditional Christmas songs with new and lively interpretations, an excerpt from one of Handel’s oratorios, and a couple of their favorites. The stirring climax came when a […]
The Ghosts of Christmas Past
·Christmas 2018 is past; not even a trace remains–except, of course, the memories and the gifts. The tree is down, ornaments are boxed away. As Matt tackled the complex world of Word Press on my computer and got it back into its old, familiar, much more user-friendly format, Nathan and I took boxes to […]
Listening In on Mr. and Mrs. Claus
·Mrs. Claus: Are you feeling better, Dear? How about a nice, hot cup of coffee? Santa (throwing back the quilts and rolling out of bed): Just what I need. The trip was hard this year. Mrs. Claus: Did the reindeer behave? Was the sleigh over-loaded? Did you face a head-wind? Santa: Yes, no, and no. […]
Happy Boxing Day
·In many countries, this is Boxing Day, and I don’t mean it’s a time when we put on gloves and solve all our differences with combat. The day after Christmas is a day when some people give gifts to those who serve them on Christmas Day and throughout the year. The gifts are boxed and, […]