This hasn’t exactly been a year of peace for me. Or, as the Hebrew word shalom describes it, it hasn’t been a year of flourishing or wholeness. It’s been the opposite, actually. A year of a lot of brokenness, stripping, disappointment. A year full of fear, anxiety, depression, a floundering of questions: why am I […]
Advent Songs, part 3: father
It’s a quiet morning here. And by quiet, I mean my heart is quietly waking, coffee in hand, cardigan on, and blankets piled over my feet. All while some sort of loud celebratory music plays outside my window. Outside, it’s Busy. Inside, it’s Advent. So I break up my normal routine & grab my computer […]
Advent Songs, part 2: faith
With this week’s sermon, came two songs, of sorts–though the first, I guess, should be called a poem, since I didn’t discover a melody as I wrote it. The challenge at the end of this week’s sermon was to believe in Christ as our Mighty God. To cast all our fear, anxiety, our constant need […]
Advent Songs, part 1: counselor
I love advent. Just within the past year, thanks to a friend who was with me 24/7 in our first holiday season away from home on this side of the globe, I was reminded of the holy-days afresh—especially how to celebrate Advent, this season of eager waiting and longing, looking forward to Jesus’ birth: Emmanuel’s […]