Shalom

Along the Western Front in Belgium, it was a dark and bitterly cold night — Christmas Eve, 1914. Soldiers had already seen far too much blood. They were deeply traumatized, aching for their families. The distance between what they believed the war would be and what it had become felt like a gaping chasm. Then, …

The Holy Spirit worked in my life like a beautiful harmony

The Holy Spirit worked in my life like a beautiful harmony in a musical composition. I had grown up in the church, going regularly even before I had memories. I attended Sunday school classes, and memorized a lot of Scripture.  One day in 1980, at a new church in Oregon, my Sunday school teacher asked our …

Have I allowed myself to be a Bethlehem?

It’s Christmas Eve, and it’s a quiet morning. For many years, quiet and Christmas didn’t go together. We are in a different season now: it’s quiet, which gives me time to ponder. When the kids were young, there were programs and adventures.  We never emphasized getting at Christmas time; we focused more on the giving. …