Posts with the tag “christmas”

Joy to the world the Lord has come…This famous line makes it into every Christmas tradition, and it should. Joy accompanies the understanding of the incarnation, or the enfleshment of God in human form. As incomprehensible as it is that God would condescend to be with us here on Earth, it is what we believe to be true. How did it happen, only God knows, but why? He makes it clear to us in so many ...  Read More

Thump! Thump! Thump! “Can you open the door?”I sat helplessly in a chair across the hotel room with my recovering leg propped up, and all I could think was, “Why didn’t the front desk give them a key?”I didn’t realize how pale I had become, but the voice on the 911 call caught my attention as she said, “Are you able to get up and open the door, sir? The EMT and Fire Department are outside and can’...  Read More

I am VERY grateful for the honor to write for The One Project. The One Project was a life-changing turning point that brought so much joy to my family and me.  I will be forever grateful for the ability to provide (what I strongly feel is) a healthier example to our children of what really matters. There is a commercial I love that I have shared with my friends many times. I’ve never been the type...  Read More

The sound of tires squealing is always an interruption.There had been an accident. And for a split second, I didn’t know what had just happened, but within a matter of milliseconds the vibration of my car getting rear ended caught up with my brain, and I realized I had been hit.  In my rear view mirror was a 15 year old girl holding, you guessed it — her cell phone.  A hard lesson was learned for ...  Read More

It all started with one. Then another appeared, and another. Followed by a few more. Before we knew it, the whole street had been overcome… by Christmas lights.An estimated 150 million light sets are sold in America each year, lighting 80 million homes around the country over the holiday season. It’s a tradition that goes way back, but the first string lights were invented by Thomas Edison, and at...  Read More

The gospels provide moving moments of joy in the Christmas story. Matthew 2 describes the wise men following a star seeking Christ. The star brings them to Him and “they were filled with joy! (Matt. 2:10, NLT).” The presence of Christ brought them joy. Luke 2 recounts the declaration of Christ’s birth, in which the angel states, “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The S...  Read More

From the moment my yellow slip-proof socks hit the sterile hospital hallway floor, I was in love!  Strangely upbeat for a woman awaiting brain surgery just a couple of weeks before Christmas, I treated everything with unguarded enthusiasm, pointing to, say, a lone red tinsel garland clumsily affixed to the wall with genuine glee (“Love it!”). Before dawn, I was camped out at the nursing station, c...  Read More

Stille Nacht, heilige NachtAlles schläft; einsam wachtNur das traute hochheilige Paar.Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!These are the words my grandmother would sing while playing her organ. Every Friday night, the whole extended family would gather at her house. As kids, we sat around the table for hours coming up with games to play with the napkin ...  Read More

It was December 25, 1999.  I awoke full of nervous expectation. There were shiny wrapped presents under the tree. There were glittering colorful lights hung around. There was a warm dancing glow in the fireplace. There was hope of a new life and the adrenaline of an unknown future not yet knowing all there was to gain.I got dressed into "Sabbath best" in preparation for church and braced myself fo...  Read More

There are two distinct memories I have from Christmas concerts I was involved in as a kid. In first grade, I remember standing on a stage with all my other classmates, all of us donning antlers and glowing red noses as we sang “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” I think out of the group of forty, three were actually in some kind...   Read More

My name is old-fashioned. It seems that no one names a baby girl Joyce anymore. My grandfather named me after the word “rejoice.” I like that my family was rejoicing when I was born! It feels like I have a responsibility to live a joyful life with a name like this, and sometimes that responsibility has been a weight to carry.   Read More

Can I be honest with you? Sometimes I’m lured into thinking that if I just had a little more in my life, my joy would be complete. I’m not talking all the time, nor am I talking about the lottery, but, just a little more here or there. Like having just one more bathroom in my house; Or one more digit in my paycheck; Or a car that is a little more updated.In my life I’ve always felt this way. No ma...  Read More

The Christmas season boasts its very own persona. Music shifts from “today’s top hits” to the classics of Winter Wonderland and Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Coffees become spiced with nutmeg or flavored with peppermint. Homes become overdressed with lights and ornaments and take on the familiar scent of fresh-cut pine—color schemes transition to reds and greens. Neighborhoods, churches, and groc...  Read More