So often at this time of year, we need clarity. It seems so easy for us to miss it. As I reflect on Isaiah 9:1–7 while looking forward to celebrating the birth of our Savior, I need a fresh reminder of what Christmas really means and what Jesus has done for our world. At the center of Christmas, at the center of what Jesus has done for us, there is joy. But first we must grapple with the darkness...
Not long after my wife and I purchased a brand-new seven-passenger van for our growing family, a friend asked if they could borrow it for their vacation to Florida. We lived in Pennsylvania. Loaning our van was more than simply sharing; it required sacrifice. They would leave us with their smaller car, which meant that for the whole trip we would need to take two cars to transport our family...
Did you think marriage was going to get easier? The early years can be difficult as you learn how to live together and manage the roles and expectations of being husband and wife, not to mention starting a family. However, the struggles don’t just end after ten, twenty, or thirty years—they change. Life is different than it was on your wedding day years ago. You are different, your spouse is...
History, despite its wrenching painCannot be unlived, but if facedWith courage, need not be lived again.~ Maya Angelou History classes can be boring. But history lessons are transforming. For many readers, the advent of historical fiction, particularly in the last century, has become a meaningful way to expand our awareness of history beyond the mundane memorization of significant dates and names...
“The words of the wise are like goads,and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings;they are given by one Shepherd.” — Ecclesiastes 12:11 Trapped in a dark world without a clear a view of God, the writer of Ecclesiastes sought frantically for some light on the path—but indulging in everything this world had to offer left him empty and unfulfilled. After climbing high on life’s ladder, he...
