In the waiting

WaitingAs a kid, December moved at a glacial pace. Christmas just took forever to arrive.

(Cue the dramatic sensibilities of a nine-year-old girl.) Of course, as an adult, this month moves by so quickly it almost gives me whiplash.

This week I revisited the promises made to Abraham about the Messiah. God told him that all the nations would be blessed by him in Genesis 12:3. The very first Messianic prophecy was spoken to the patriarch of the Jewish faith.

Pause and consider that, friends: the first time God calls a man to Himself, He points to the Messiah. Not just that, but He also mentions that this hope would be for “all the peoples.”  Read More

Fits and starts. And then more fits.

I love starting projects.

Cleaning closets. Organizing the garage. Planting bulbs in the yard for spring color. Sinking my teeth into a Lindt dark chocolate bar… the kind with a touch of sea salt. Finishing projects is a whole different story. Somewhere in the middle, I just give up steam. The “to donate” pile lingers in the corner of the closet for weeks. The garage has a strange collection of tools that never really find their home on the peg board. And I still have boxes of unplanted bulbs. (I’ve got no problem finishing the chocolate bar, however.) Read More

Tied up with Strings: Getting, Giving and Gifts

It’s a line from a song in one of my favorite movies, The Sound of Music. Though it’s not the intended meaning, I can’t help thinking it aptly describes much of ‘giving’ that goes on at Christmas…

“Brown paper packages tied up with strings…”

When we turn the page on the calendar from November to December, we simultaneously shift from being thankful for all God has given us to setting out to acquire more. (Though we’re shopping to give to others, most of our purchases end up under our very own roofs, don’t they?)  Read More