Advent 2015: Day 5
In fulfillment of the Law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple and dedicated him to the Lord. What they did was a routine act of obedience, but what happened next was far from routine.
Read More Advent 2015: Day 5Author: Emily Chase
Advent 2015: Day 4
Eight days after Jesus was born, Joseph circumcised his son, and just over a month later, he and Mary carried their infant son to the Temple in Jerusalem to dedicate him to the Lord. You’ll find this account in Luke 2:22-24, but the tradition of dedicating a child to the Lord stretched back around …
Read More Advent 2015: Day 4Advent 2015 – Day 3
Every first-time parent desires to do a good job. They read books on child-rearing, many seek advice from experienced parents. Joseph received a message telling him his son would be the Messiah, and Mary too learned that their child would grow up to sit on the throne of David. What steps did Mary …
Read More Advent 2015 – Day 3Advent 2015: Day 2
In Matthew 1:20-31, Jesus’ father Joseph had just learned his wife-to-be was pregnant, and this child, Joseph knew, was not his. After thirty years of counseling people facing crisis pregnancies, I can easily imagine some of the emotions he may have experienced in those first hours: shock, anger, betrayal, grief.
Read More Advent 2015: Day 2Advent 2015, Day 1
Advent 2015 is here and offers us once more an opportunity to set aside the distractions of holiday shopping, gift wrapping and tree decorating and to focus instead on the arrival of God’s Son. Our family has a long-standing tradition of celebrating this season starting on the first of the month and ending on …
Read More Advent 2015, Day 1Mysterious Maladies
My toddler woke up with small red blotches covering his chest. Measles? An allergic reaction to a food? Poison ivy? What caused this mysterious rash? I wasn’t sure but my son was scratching vigorously. We headed to the doctor’s office in search of answers. Entering the room, wearing his white lab coat, the …
Read More Mysterious MaladiesConference Fever
Last month I headed off to the Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference. I’ve lost track of how many different writers conferences I have attended over the years, but I will never forget the first one. Arriving at the conference as a newbie, I felt overwhelmed by all those attending. There were over …
Read More Conference FeverWe stand in God’s courtroom
The following skit is one I prepared for my church fellowship group this week as we studied the topic of “God is Just.” The topic seemed to expand ever larger to include retribution and vengeance and retaliation and wrath.The topic loomed over me as impossible to grasp in a single brief class period. Finally, …
Read More We stand in God’s courtroomLong time, no see
“Long time, no see.” It is an expression that we often use for people we have failed to keep in touch with. And it is an expression that too often describes me. “Out of sight, out of mind” is another apt description of my ability to shut off a relationship when the other person is …
Read More Long time, no seeCompassion and Empathy
As this new year started, I began pursuing a personal Bible study on the topic of compassion. Professional counselors have always emphasized the need for empathy. But what was the difference between the two terms? What did the word “compassion” truly mean? Webster told me that compassion referred to “suffering with another, having sympathy or …
Read More Compassion and Empathy