I’ve been reading through Scripture and Advent devotionals for myself (and the kids). We are so familiar with the story of Christ’s birth, sometimes we don’t slow down long enough to contemplate the implications of Immanuel, God with us. Or how Jesus fulfilled numerous prophesies foretold hundreds of years before He came. Or that He […]
Holidays
12 Things We Want for Christmas

“Back in 2013, the LA Times reported that the average American home has over 300,000 items in it and there are over 50,000 storage facilities nationwide (and this is the fastest growing real estate segment!)” We have so much stuff, we are drowning in the waste of it all. This year, we’ve decided to cut back […]
A Mother’s View

Many people have contemplated Mary’s perspective regarding the birth of the Savior. After all, verses are dedicated to her thoughts and feelings in response to His arrival, but what about when her son, the promised Messiah of the world, was beaten and hung from a tree? What was she pondering in her heart in those […]
The Humility of Christmas

This last week I’ve had one of those “sacred echo” moments where everything I read pointed back to one word: humility. My Advent reading, a message I listened to, a Facebook post, Scripture…all declaring a point of purpose: “Are you listening, Kristin?” I’m trying, Lord. But, humility is a painful lesson. Honestly, I waver between pride […]
Is December 25th for the Pagans or Christians?

The perils of doing yoga have flooded the news this fall. Pastors and Christian leaders have declared yoga an evil practice because of its pagan origins. I’d agree that using certain words (namaste, om, etc.) and emptying the mind or worshiping the sun god with mantras is absolutely counter to our beliefs and dangerous to […]