As a little girl in my pre-teen and teenage years I struggled with fear, worry and anxious thoughts. At that time in my life, my family and I lived in Kingston, Jamaica as missionaries

Let’s cut to the chase.

This is a huge week. Tomorrow’s events will forever be stamped in the pages of American history books. Our country is divided. Troops are deployed. Plans are in place. Theories are swirling. But Jesus is still on the throne.

Maybe you have been feeling it too. You know, the weight of the world on your shoulders, or perhaps the deep ache and hollow depths of loss. Or maybe, it is the clear division and disunity we see in all of this unrest we face these days,

“Beginning a new year traditionally brings hope for change. We declare resolutions to fuel our resolve. Maybe you set a weight loss goal, a prayer goal, a Bible reading goal, or something different. I do this too, and of course…”

Over two thousand years ago, Jesus came into the world at the RIGHT TIME, at the APPOINTED and ANOINTED time. Our heavenly Father looked down at our world and chose Mary to give birth to the Son of God.

Christmas time is here and as they say it is the time of GOOD CHEER! Christmas songs sing ‘it’s the most wonderful time of the year!’…

Mary held Him close studying the curves and features of His sweet face in the flicker of the dim light. Since the time of Isaiah, Mary’s ancestors had held tightly to the words of the prophet that a deliverer would come….

My youngest grandchildren visited last Saturday while their mommy worked as a nurse, and their daddy did a little Christmas shopping. To make the time memorable for them….

“It is not happy people who are thankful, it is thankful people who are happy.” unknown

Imagine with me that you’ve been invited to a party!!

Two words I have heard my entire life are be still. As a child with way too much energy and a father with very little patience, those words decorated the air in my youth.

I love this time of year when we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas as it usually allows me to be creative with hospitality, which I thoroughly enjoy. Holiday hospitality is very different than how I grew up.

Have you ever felt off course? I know I have. When I have felt off course I know at some point there was a loss of connection and somehow, somewhere, there was a disconnect spiritually.

Sisters hold a bond stronger than glue. I am the oldest of three girls. To say we are close would be an understatement! My mother always told us that we were one another’s’ greatest friends and treasures.

Sometimes I cannot wrap my head around grace. Being able to receive it feels like trying to catch a firefly: I see it glistening in the darkness, and I long to capture it in my hands and call the beautiful thing my own…