children’s christmas book giveaway!

In preparation for Christmas, Ambassador International has graciously donated two children’s Christmas books for me to give away! The first is called The Manger Mouse, written by Sarah Martin Byrd and illustrated by Debbie Wall.     In this sweet...

unwrapping the greatest gift :: a review

It started ten years ago, with the first Christmas after I got married — the question of traditions. I grew up in Michigan, where Christmas equaled cutting down our own tree the day after Thanksgiving, baking and decorating cut-out cookies, singing carols in the...

what’s on your christmas list?

A couple of weeks ago, my sister asked my kids, “What’s on your Christmas list?” They looked at each other blankly before asking, “What’s a Christmas list?” At the risk of sounding prideful, I was relieved and grateful that they had...

defining hope

  “You are hardwired for hope.  You don’t live by instinct.  Every decision you make is fueled by and motivated by hope.  Your happiest moments are about hope fulfilled, and your saddest moments are about hope dashed. You’re always hoping....

free advent resources

“What John the Baptist did for Israel, Advent can do for us. Don’t let Christmas find you unprepared. I mean spiritually unprepared.” These are the words of John Piper in his free devotional, ‘Good News of Great Joy: Daily Readings for Advent.’...

christmas traditions

Traditions. We all have them, especially during the holidays. We decorate trees, we bake cookies, we play Secret Santa, we stuff stockings, we glaze hams. All in the spirit of Christmas. But what do any of these traditions really have to do with true meaning of...