Category: Devotionals

Every year, Christmas arrives predictably on December 25th, a fact which makes our holiday waiting a bit more bearable. At least we know when the waiting period will end. However, when I submit a book proposal, I have no idea when a publisher will get back to me. When you pray for a neighbor to …

If you took that man-on-the-street survey of key characters in the Christmas story, one name at the top of your list would be that of Mary. She too learned to wait. Just as Zechariah sat on the sidelines for nine long months throughout his wife’s pregnancy, Mary waited through nine long months of her own …

If you did a survey on the street about key characters in the Christmas story, the name Zachariah would not likely rise to the top of the list, yet in Luke’s account, his story fills almost half of the first chapter! An angel appeared to Zechariah and told him that he would have a baby …

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 …