Is it my imagination or do we just not hear as much “Happy Hanukkah” these days? And what’s the real story behind Hanukkah anyway? ♦ I remember as a kid how we used to say “Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!” everywhere… Read More ›
Holidays
Christmas Dreams and Visions
The stories around the birth of Jesus are filled with supernatural dreams and visions. How do we deal with this? Did these really happen or are they all nice fairy tales? ♦ Most people welcome and celebrate Christmas even as they… Read More ›
A Thanksgiving Story – A Pilgrim’s Hope and Loss
Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful but also an opportunity to share a story or two about the past. Here’s a Thanksgiving story you might have forgotten…or never knew. ♦ When the kids were teenagers and I would often search… Read More ›
Christianity and America’s Birth on July 4, 1776
We are a nation that now pays lip service to God and Christian principles. My, how far we have strayed since our humble origins. ♦ John Quincy Adams, the 6th president of the United States, once referenced the historic event that… Read More ›
America Founded as a City Upon A Hill?
There is disagreement these days over whether America was founded as a Christian nation. In actuality, the topic is very debatable with ample support for both sides of the argument. Does it really matter? Yes, it does. ♦ It’s important to… Read More ›
Easter – The Shot Heard ‘Round the World
Christianity is nothing without Easter. It’s the historic event of all events. To varying degrees, the global human community pays homage to the supernatural incident of the resurrection of Christ after his death by crucifixion. For many, it’s still a… Read More ›
A Christian Valentine
St. Valentine’s martyrdom story does not seem very romantic. Does the Bible say anything about love and romance? ♦ One man, a Roman priest named Valentine, defied the edict handed down by the Emperor Claudius that prohibited the marriage of… Read More ›
3 Christian Resolutions
We make them every year. Resolute promises to ourselves to be different starting on January 1 of a New Year. As if there’s magic at the stroke of midnight. What’s a Christian to do? ♦ We’ve all made New Year’s… Read More ›
Handel’s Musical Masterpiece
You may attend a church service this Christmas week that has a choir performing Handel’s Messiah, a musical masterpiece. Do you know the full story of its composition? ♦ You’ve heard the song many times on the radio, on a recording,… Read More ›
A Christmas Question
If we celebrate Christmas, then how is it that we really don’t believe it all. ♦ Christmas is an odd time. Everybody buys into it (literally). At least the shopping, music, pageantry, beauty, coziness and festiveness of it all. It’s wonderful… Read More ›
A Christmas Story Often Missed
Christmas is certainly a time of good tidings and cheer. But there are serious implications found in The Story, but also in a little adjunct story often overlooked. ♦ It’s the time of year when stories of homecomings, reunions and gatherings… Read More ›
A Thanksgiving Story – The Indian Stranger
The first Thanksgiving in 1621 was celebrated with gratefulness for God’s provisions and survival, including a “special instrument sent of God…” ♦ In the days before America was founded, an American Indian named Tisquantum (Squanto for short) would travel across the… Read More ›
Biblical Viewpoint 