Posts from December 2017

The Power of the Gift.

It was Christmastime, 1976. My father had died suddenly of a heart attack at age 46 just 6 weeks before. We were staggered. I was limping through my senior year of high school, sometimes stalled by grief, sometimes able to carry on well, until I felt guilty for not remembering my father. My mother, just…

Of Olympics, Jerusalem and “Silent No More”

The largest headlines of this past week have all concerned fair play. Play in the literal sense is involved in the International Olympic Committee’s announcement that Russia would not be allowed to field a team at the upcoming Winter Olympics. This was in response to the revelation of wide-spread doping of Russian athletes. The decision…

Is Advent Important?

If you’ve been inside a retail store in the last month and a half, chances are you’ve already been inundated with more Christmas music than you know what to do with. From the less than inspiring tones of “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” to beautiful sacred tunes like “Angels We Have Heard on…

Safe in God’s Hemming Palm

God’s Hemming Palm. In Psalm 139, David is reflecting on his life, and on God’s extraordinary faithfulness to him. He says, “You hem me in, behind and before.” We often talk about knowing the blessing and protection of being in the Palm of God’s hand. What’s more, not only does Jesus sit at the right…