Christmas

After my cantata experience, I got to thinking about Christmas caroling and the joy it can spread. I always wanted to go caroling when I was growing up, but we lived ten miles out in the country with no neighbors. There really wasn’t anyone to sing to. When I was in college, I got to … Continue reading »

I just participated in my first Christmas Cantata. I have attended them before, but being on the singing side as opposed to the listening side was a completely different matter altogether. It’s an entirely different way to share our faith. This particular piece wove traditional Christmas songs with newly written ones and produced some beautiful … Continue reading »

I have been writing about Advent for the past couple of weeks. The first candle in the Advent wreath represents hope. The second represents peace. The third candle, that we lit yesterday, represents joy. Joy is a tricky concept for us to understand in today’s world where it seems that instant gratification is on everyone’s … Continue reading »

As I’ve pondered the many different facets of peace this week, I’ve written about creating a peaceful existence within my home and creating more space for peace within my heart by cleaning up any negativity  I may be harboring. I’ve written about taking some of the chaos out of the Christmas season so that we … Continue reading »

Yesterday, I wrote about creating a more peaceful existence at home, by starting the day more peacefully and adding prayer. As we think about creating a more peaceful environment, we can dig into our hearts. We have to be quiet and still to do an inventory of the heart and that’s often two things that … Continue reading »

Yesterday’s post was about cutting back on the Christmas chaos in order to really bask and appreciate the reason for the season. Today, I wanted to write a little about peace within our homes. How peaceful is your home and your home life? I really believe there are things we can do to create a … Continue reading »

As I continue to focus on peace this week, during Advent, I am reminded how hectic this time of year can get. At times, during the Christmas season, it seems that peace couldn’t be any further away. Some of the things that keep us overwhelmed are social commitments like parties that we feel obligated to … Continue reading »

Last week I talked about the lighting of the Advent Candles at church, during he month of December. The first one was for hope. I challenged myself to look for hope in the world around me and to share it with others. I have to say, I was not disappointed. Once I prayed for God … Continue reading »

My fifteen-year-old daughter is convinced that she should have been born in the eighties. She loves the movies, “The Breakfast Club” and “Sixteen Candles.” She loves that we used to make mixed tapes and pass notes. She loves the “Cosby Show.” Her generation, with all of the texting and sports worship, feels too fast for … Continue reading »

As I have pondered the expectant waiting involved in Advent, I began thinking about Bible prophecy and waiting. As a society, we do not like to wait, and for many things, we don’t have to. We have information at the speed of light. We have text and e-mail instead of written and mailed letters. We … Continue reading »