“I Heard the Bells” and etcetera

The song “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” reminds me of Job when I read the following lines: And in despair I bowed my head: ‘There is no peace on earth, ‘ I said ‘For hate is strong, and mocks the song Of peace on earth, good will to...

A Time to Rest {Advent}

After the waiting, the seeking, the hoping, the receiving, the rejoicing, is a time to rest. No more striving, no more hoping, no more seeking, no more waiting. It is the time to simply rest. We are, in a sense, in a long sabbath rest. We are in a time of resting even...

Seven Days in NICU and a Christmas Eve Miracle

18 years ago, when she was born on this day, Christmas Eve, at 10:04 in the morning, she was not breathing. Thankfully, the hospital had a NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) and an emergency team ready- and she was intubated. After I awoke from general anesthesia...

A Time to Rejoice {Advent}

Can you remember a time when you expectantly waited for something for days, weeks, months, even years? And when you finally received that thing which you hoped for, do you remember the joy that followed? Last week, I wrote about hope . After hope, comes the...

A Time to Hope {Advent}

Conversations are replete with statements of events, gatherings, to-do lists… I rarely hear anyone say they have ample time to rest this time of year. Is it possible to choose rest and consider long and deep the meaning of the holy night so long ago? Instead, I...

When Home

When Home     It isn’t simply the camellias or dogwoods that draw me home but a string that pulls, pushes Appalachia aside and drags me under the Chattahoochee with the catfish.   I resurface in the creek down the street, catch my breath on a blanket of pine...

A Time to Seek {Advent}

  A star burned one night, leading wise men from the East. It led those people who were accustomed to seeking. People accustomed to the night sky. People accustomed to wondering. People accustomed to looking upward toward the heavens. God sent a message about a...