As a child, the word Advent meant one thing and one thing alone. Chocolate! I remember each year trying to be patient and only eat the chocolate prescribed for that specific day. Usually, a sort of bargain happened where I would eat 2-5 chocolates and then wait the appropriate amount of days before indulging again. […]
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices. A chill ran through my body as I sang this line from a long-loved song. In this season, which has been marked by heaviness, my heart captured a glimpse of the hope Jesus brings. Last week I attended a Christmas service at my friend’s church. It was […]
Pork Shoulder Steak By Tom Unfried So there we were in the fall of 1995, back at the hospital just a short time after our son Christian had been released after months of treatment for a bone marrow transplant. Complaining of severe pain in his abdomen, we knew the drill: get him to Children’s Hospital […]
In case my previous posts weren’t obvious enough, this has been a challenging Christmas for me. It is in no way the worst Christmas ever (see last Friday’s post for details on that one), but this year has been a heavier, more somber holiday season. As I’ve shared my heart these last couple of weeks, […]
This week has been characterized by much sadness. It’s sort of crept up on me, but all of a sudden it hit me how much there is to mourn over, both communally and individually. There is so much around me that seems dark, dank, and desperate. I feel powerless. And I am acutely aware […]
Today I got to try out a new bakery owned by one of my favorite restaurants. I was eagerly awaiting their opening and had been searching for an excuse to visit. The experience did not disappoint and I’m already planning a second visit back, this time with my local bakery expert, Mom. I was posting […]
Hope? Do I choose to engage in hope, Or do I detach and avoid? I fear the pain and devastation of hope unmet. Can I enter into longing? Can I trust that it will be for an end? Lord, help my unbelief. Awake – and risk. Awake – and trust. […]
Last week in church I was struck by one of the passages during our readings. I began to write and by the end of the service, had a little poem. This week, I was taken with the idea of Hope as we enter into the season of Advent. So, hopefully this will begin a series […]