Category: Devotionals

Every year, starting in January, I start praying about a theme for the next set of Advent devotionals. Sometimes the Lord allows me to wait until mid-November before revealing the theme, and other times he tells me early. This year’s theme came to me in late Spring. But the key element here is prayer. Before …

(Due to my coming home from the hospital yesterday, Advent Day 15 was late being posted. You will find it below today’s post.) When I was a child, our neighbor was one of the first to own an electric carving knife. He showed it off proudly every chance he had, so the next Christmas my …

During December, it sometimes seems that the whole world stops its normal routine and shifts its focus to shopping and office parties and eating. I, for example, put my normal writing projects on hold so that I can focus on preparing these devotional thoughts during Advent.’ When the people of Israel went into captivity in …

Have you ever ordered a Christmas gift on line and then waited and waited for your order to appear? Everything was paid for, but the package never arrived. Sometimes the person lost the order in cyberspace, but other times the person at the other end never got around to putting the package in the mail. …

Welcome back to the next in our Advent series on the theme of “waiting.” As the youngest son of Jesse, David did not have great prospects for wealth and fame. He was, after all, only a shepherd boy. Then Samuel anointed David to be the next king. Immediately David defeated Goliath, he met Saul and …

The holiday malls are full of sales. Have you driven across town to purchase an item only to see it advertised the next day at your local mall or on-line at a lower price? If you had waited one more day, you could have saved yourself a substantial amount of trouble. King Saul was not …

Welcome back for the next in our 2017 series of Advent devotionals on the theme of “Waiting for God to Appear.” This year, my husband and I look forward to celebrating our first Christmas in our new apartment. We lived in our former home for over forty years. During those forty years, we raised three …

My grandson Josiah, age 12, is already saving up to buy his first car. He has great dreams. One day he says it will be a BMW. Another day it will be a sports coupe. But he will have to wait for years before his dream is fulfilled, and he will first need to learn …

My husband Gene wanted a new desk, but he had to wait until Christmas when I gave him one as a gift. Unfortunately, the desk came unassembled, and Gene had to spend many painful hours reading instructions, inserting screws, and gluing parts before he could enjoy the benefits of his gift. Thousands of years ago, …

Have you ever waited and waited for something only to discover the result is not what you expected? My mother was an avid gardener. Early in December one year, as a joke, my dad bought her an enormous bag of peat moss. He wrapped it, tied on a big red bow and placed it under …