A Bold Start to 2025 – Pass the Black-Eyed Peas!
Happy New Year! I like the sound of 2025 – seems like a number that we’ll claim with enthusiasm, hope and great expectations. Let’s talk about those great expectations we have for this new year and the plateful of those black-eyed peas! I’m not saying those little legumes provide some kind of superpowers, but something…
Help! I Can’t Reach It!
I stood in the grocery aisle, staring up at the box of Dairy Whip perched just out of reach. A tall man walked by, and I called out, “Could you help me with that?” He tried – but NOT! Then, with a grin, he lifted his daughter onto his shoulders. She stretched out her little…
LIGHT — It’s My Christmas Word Time!
The celebration of our Lord’s birth wrapped up yesterday, and oh, what a sweet time it was! We had Christmas with Carl’s family last Sunday and celebrated with my Wuerch Family yesterday. Our East Texas crew joined the festivities via phone calls, UPS deliveries, and lots of texts. We may have been scattered, but we…
I’m a Sap for a Good Love Story
Thursday night we attended a Christmas Open House at the home of dear church friends. How precious they are, and how welcoming they were to many people. As beautiful as their home is – in more Christmas décor than a Christmas store — is this couple, Lester and Barbara, and their story. He is 91;…
May the 4th Sunday of Advent Be With You!
Today, I invite you to join me in celebrating this 4th Sunday of Advent. We’re almost to Jesus’ Birthday! The final lit Advent candle marks the beginning of the final week before Christmas. The white candle represents purity and peace brought to the world by Christ. We can take some lessons from Mary and Joseph.…
He’s Knocking — Let’s Open the Door
“Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together.” – Revelation 3:20 The innkeeper’s story is one we’ve heard countless times. But have you ever stopped to imagine what he might have felt like when he realized…
Lord, Make Me a Ponderer!
Picture this: I’m wrapped in the warm twinkle of our Christmas trees, surrounded by tiny village churches, my mom’s beloved ceramic tree with its colorful little bulbs, and my cherished Nativity sets. The air is filled with the sweet aroma of Maple Sugar Scentsy wax melts, and everything feels just right. I am pondering. And…
The Not-So-Perfect Christmas
It’s time for those picture-perfect Christmas photos of families in matching pajamas, along with the picture-perfect photos of our impressive Christmas décor. Suddenly the comparison doors swing wide open as we try to one-up our friends and neighbors so that we win the “Christmas Decorating” award. Leaving those comparisons behind has been a relief for…
The Government is on HIS Shoulders
My husband was reading his cousin’s Christmas newsletter to me. It included the scripture: “And the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6) That scripture struck a cord with me. We have had enough drama in our government to…
The First Sunday of Advent: A Season of Hope
Advent. The very word stirs up a sense of anticipation, doesn’t it? It means “coming” or “arrival,” and for us as believers, it’s a season to reflect on the most glorious arrival in history—our Savior, Jesus Christ, leaving Heaven to dwell among us. This Sunday, the first candle of the Advent wreath, the HOPE candle,…