Inspiration comes from all kinds of places. Each Christmas, I ask God to help me see the nativity with fresh eyes. I read the traditional passages from Matthew and Luke, I soak in the prophecies of Jesus’ birth from the Old Testament and look up testimonies from historians like Josephus. I’ve explored the stories of the shepherds, the Magi, Mary, …
One of the blessings, and sometimes headaches, of being a historical author is the amount of research I have to wade through each week. On occasion, a gem appears that is so rare, so astoundingly beautiful, that it makes the hours of sleeplessness worth every moment. Each Christmas I find particular joy in digging anew into the accounts of Jesus’ …
Last night, I sang a solo in church entitled “Be Born in Me”. It’s a haunting and beautifully composed set of lyrics woven around the thoughts that might have spun through young Mary’s mind and heart as Gabriel revealed the news that God had chosen her to give birth to the long-awaited Messiah. Here is a portion of the lyrics: …
There are so many traditions I adore about Christmas…hanging stockings over the fireplace, caroling, and reading Luke 2 as a family on Christmas Eve. Of course, the crazy thing about traditions is that growing up, we usually accept them and rarely question them until the habit becomes truth in our mind. As one person put it, “Tradition is peer pressure …
“No room.” Most of us have heard the story. The fabled innkeeper who turned away Mary and Joseph in their hour of need. The calloused man has become a staple in the Christmas story, though he’s never mentioned in the Bible. No, really. The only Gospel that makes mention of there being ‘no room’ is Luke chapter two. Check it …
A stable foreshadowing a tomb. A weary girl trembling with fatigue and pain. A father with the weight of a new family pressing on his shoulders. A king gripped with fear that the Promised Child will be his undoing. And shepherds, their limbs trembling as angels announce a message that rocks their world to the core. Yet amidst these poignant …
Are you in the middle of a Christmas gone bad? I’m not talking about a pile of stress you brought on yourself by setting unrealistic expectations. I’m not talking about trying to be the Martha Stewart of party throwers, scrambling to find those oh-so-perfect gifts, being up to your elbows in ribbons, or any of the other ridiculous ways we …
Past stars and galaxies, the glittering lights of mysteries beyond I flew. I was not alone. No, an entire heavenly congregation soared with me. We danced past shimmering hosts and luminescent wonders, winging and dancing, spiraling and speeding past the diamonds of the Holy One’s masterpiece until we pushed past the transparent glass of the blue marbled planet’s firmament. I breathed in …
Anna. One of the most overlooked people in the Christmas story but what a rich, beautiful legacy she left. Her life is one that reaches through time and tugs my heart closer to Jesus even today. People who are passionate for Jesus have a way of doing that. Not many verses are dedicated to Anna, (only three) but they pack …
“No room.” Most of us have heard the story. The fabled innkeeper who turned away Mary and Joseph in their hour of need. The calloused man has become a staple in the Christmas story, though he’s never mentioned in the Bible. No, really. The only Gospel that makes mention of there being ‘no room’ is Luke chapter two. Check it …