Family Friday #7 – Our First Christmas
Our first Christmas together was 1979 when Jim stayed with us and asked my dad if he could marry me. That is another story documented somewhere else in this blog. But, Christmas 1980 was our first as husband and wife. There are many things I remember about that specific Christmas but also about our intentionality…
Breathe Deep
Years ago, Jim and I found a band called Lost Dogs; some of the members had been part of the early Christian music movement. Their lyrics made us think and ponder anew the reality that is YHWH. This song is one of theirs that we sang with our youth groups. Verse 1: Politicians, morticians, philistines,…
Christmas Rant
This is the season I often feel shame for my feelings about the holidays. I have not always felt this way and maybe I won’t in in the future. Still, I feel like a party pooper or a grinch because I just don’t care anymore. People like to tell me that it is because I…
Christmas 2024
Happy Christmas! Last year (2022) I took the year off from sending Christmas cards. 2023 is now on its way out. For our family it was the year of 4 weddings and a funeral. Rex Moses, my dad, made it safely home to heaven at the end of 2022 and we celebrated…
Mohler Christmas 2022
Mohler Christmas 2022 It finally happened. I didn’t send out Christmas Cards. No Christmas tree & minimal decor. No planning or shopping. It took 43 years for my Christmas Spirit to finally take a holiday – maybe it will come back, maybe not. It is not because I am in a funk and it was…
Christmas 2021
Another year has come and gone. Some of it was good. Some of it was hard. Some was messy. Some was fun. Of all the words that could describe 2021 I think I will use the word languishing. Why? After 2 years of pandemic fatigue I think most of those I interact with, follow on…
Good King Wenceslaus
This is a very intriguing Christmas carol because it does not mention Christ or Christmas. I used to wonder what it meant and who this King was? It turns out he is as real as Saint Nick. He lived in the early middle ages in Bohemia (aka. the Czech Republic). He was really a duke…
God Rest Ye Merry
Every year we greet each other with the word merry, meaning happy or pleasant; merry old England referred to an idyllic life that was prosperous and bountiful and Robin Hood’s merry men were companions in arms. The Bible uses the word merry to convey a sense of joyfulness. Proverbs 17:22 says that a merry or…
Sin & Error Pining
Tis the season to listen to 24/7 Christmas music and watch Christmas movies. I was listening to O Holy Night which I have heard thousands of times. It is a weird thing to hear something and ponder it in a new way. The lines in the song that struck me: Long lay the world in…
Fullerton Free Advent Devotional Dec. 3
When have you been happiest in your life? What events have sparked the most enthusiasm? Have you ever been overwhelmed by gladness? The word joy is very much associated with Christmas and Christianity. In fact, the joy of the holiday is usually very contagious. When the wisemen saw the star in the sky the Bible…