Jesus wasn’t born in December, but likely in March. (Or, as my daughter Katie keeps telling me, Jesus was an Aries.) The wise men weren’t at the manger, but arrived years later. The manger may have been a cave, not a quaint little straw sanctuary in a drafty barn. We Christians have turned what was...

No one has to tell me what Christmas is really about. I know. And I love what it is supposed to be. But, like many of you, I get caught up in the busy-ness of it and don’t seem to have much time to focus on spiritual. Much of what we fill our holidays with...

You add another item to the grocery list. Hop online to order a couple more gifts on Amazon. Hear your phone ding with a low balance alert. Lovely. Remember that you need to order another stocking because there will be someone new at Christmas this year… where did you get the other ones? Search online...

I used to design and write my church’s weekly bulletin, and I was aware that, for some, certain holidays brought with them sadness. But I believed that surely time healed all wounds. Sure, it was sad when someone died, but I thought it was morbid to dwell on it. I naively assumed people could let...

Since I lost Mom three and a half years ago, Christmas has been decidedly less fun. The best part of Christmas was finding really fun, quirky gifts that only my mom would like—and lots of them. She did the same for me. But now, she’s not on my gift list. My kids are past the...

During my teen years, there was one thing I knew for sure about my adult life: It would not be spent in Montgomery County, Indiana. During my 40s, one thing of which I am absolutely certain: I love living in Montgomery County, Indiana. As we’ve worked on the final edits for my book, my editor...

In January, I chose one word for the year: turn. I wrote about it here. In typical “me” fashion, I’d already forgotten. Staying focused isn’t always my strong suit. Especially during summer, when it seems like the rest of the world is going on vacation and lounging by the pool, but I still have all...

“The one thing I ask of the LORD—
the thing I seek most—
is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections 
and meditating in his Temple.
 For he will conceal me there when troubles come;
 he will hide me in his sanctuary.
 He will place me out...

Today, it’s been three years since Mom died. I miss her. In the last three years, I had an idea, wrote a book proposal, found an agent, signed with a publisher, and wrote the book. Mom didn’t even know I wanted to do this. I miss her. My kids have been through two migraine hospitalizations,...

My pastor told me a story about a man he knew who had been a paratrooper in WWII. Before they dropped into France, the paratroopers were given the chance to pick whatever weapons they wanted, whatever they could carry, from the warehouse. This man, Perry, picked one gun with a spare clip. Most of the...