I went to the ER on Christmas Day. Not what I had planned. I had spent a number of weeks dealing with a stye on the lower lid of my left eye, and on Christmas Day discovered what looked like a sack of blood on the inside of that eyelid. It seemed prudent to seek professional help. My dear mother, who had stayed overnight with us, prayed a sweet and powerful prayer over me before we headed out to the truck, and I was grateful for the peace that settled on me. I was nervous, of course. Eye matters can be a little scary. But, I knew the Lord was…

Here we are, just a few days away from Christmas. The season of Advent is almost complete. We’ve been on a journey of waiting, watching, repenting and preparing for His coming. Are we ready for His arrival? Will we accept what He offers when He comes? Will we accept Him and offer Him room in our hearts? When He came the first time, the children of Israel had been waiting for hundreds of years, hoping the promises of a Messiah were true, and yearning for deliverance from their oppressors. Yes, they had returned to the “promised land,” but they were under pagan rule, afflicted by pagan influences, and they were…

My friends and co-workers came to our home for a gift exchange this week. It was a sweet celebration of our growing friendships, and I hope it will become an annual event. Preparing for the event was truly enjoyable for me as I planned the menu, wrote a special card for each one, arranged fresh flowers, decorated, cooked, cleaned, lit candles and put Christmas music on to play in the background. This kind of labor has its own reward, and as my mother is want to say, “Floats my boat and cranks my crane.” Planning and preparing with anticipation is a gift of it’s own, and I believe it is…

And Jesus said, “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14:38) In that hour, when He was facing His imminent arrest, brutal beating and murder by crucifixion, Jesus was still teaching His beloved disciples and friends the crucial importance of staying close to the Father. He was reminding them that as long as they were in the flesh in this world they would need to continually and perpetually press into a relationship with Him. It is the same for us. Until He comes again, we are in a fallen and broken world, and we are tempted by all…