Emily Parke Chase
Happy New Year! We’ve just said goodbye to all our grandkids who were visiting from out of state. How they have grown and changed over the past year! Some have learned to read. Younger ones are now potty-trained. Others are taller. It is easy to see how they have matured. Do you ever wonder how …
Read More Setting Goals for the New Year!This is the last day of these Advent devotionals for 2012. For us, Advent has ended. The joy of Christmas is at hand. When I first began organizing these thoughts and listing the emotions of Mary, my plan was to have them crescendo and end on the note of joy. But as God …
Read More Advent 2012 – Day 24“Joy to the World! The Lord is come!” Advent is a time for introspection and penitence, preparing believers for the excitement of Jesus’ arrival at Christmas. The contrast between the sorrow of our sin and joy of a Savior is like night turning into dawn. Several years ago I had surgery to …
Read More Advent 2012 – Day 23Thanks for joining me once more for an Advent devotional. Mary’s emotions during her pregnancy, that first long Advent, reflect so many of our own emotions as we pass through life. Some emotions are positive, like hope and peace, but others are less comfortable emotions like confusion and pain. What is the worst …
Read More Advent 2012 – Day 22Advent is a time of preparation not only for the Lord’s coming but for all our relatives’ coming. Family gatherings are an important ingredient of any holiday celebration. As our family grew and as my brothers and I brought spouses into the mix, my single brother Richard often found there was “no room …
Read More Advent 2012 – Day 21Advent is quickly advancing toward Christmas. Thanks for coming back to read these brief devotionals based on Mary’s emotions during the very first Advent season. Shortly after my husband asked me to marry him, we wanted to share our good news with my family. The news might have been good but our timing …
Read More Advent 2012 – Day 20With all the bright lights and music pointing to Christmas, Advent is a beautiful time of year. But not everyone feels beautiful. Have you ever felt unlovely? The teenager rues the acne that spreads across his face. The middle-aged woman looks in the mirror and sees the extra pounds the years have added. …
Read More Advent 2012 – Day 19Welcome back to the 18th day of this Advent series of devotionals on the emotions Jesus’ mother felt during her pregnancy. Holidays from work usually offer people an opportunity for rest, but sleep is always elusive for me. I average six hours per night. Through the years, I have accumulated lots of tricks …
Read More Advent 2012 – Day 18Daily devotionals during Advent have been a family tradition in our home for around thirty years now. We began when our children were small and had difficulty waiting for Christmas to arrive. Like most young children, our sons and daughter would lift the packages and shake them to determine what might be inside. Did …
Read More Advent 2012 – Day 17Thanks for continuing to come back to join in on our family’s Advent tradition. For those who are only now joining us, be sure to read the earlier posts as well. One year I asked our oldest son what he would like for his birthday. Tim replied that he wanted a 20-piece box …
Read More Advent 2012 – Day 16