I always love Christmas. My wonder for the season thrills at the thought of twinkle lights, evergreen wreaths, hot cocoa, and the beauty of the nativity story. But December 2013 was particularly special—I was expecting my second baby, a girl. Her due date? Christmas Eve. I imagined a Hallmark ending to a Christmas pregnancy. I […]

If you pay attention to enough stories, you’ll soon recognize that most of them are based on the oldest and best story of all. They tell us that the world is broken, people aren’t doing well, and they desperately need something or someone to fix their circumstances or save them. In the end, the hero […]

No one would ever call me an optimist, yet some part of me has always believed that things would work out for my good. I grew up in a Christian home, and the church culture of the ’90s fed me a lie that I consumed and digested wholeheartedly: if I just followed Jesus, my life […]

[Editor’s Note: Today’s article is an excerpt adapted from this year’s Advent study, Fulfilled. We pray that as you reflect on the gift of Jesus, prepared and given by our heavenly Father, your heart would be stirred to worship him.] I don’t like to leave things undone until the last minute. In fact, Gretchen would […]

Fulfilled: Our 2021 Advent Collection I associate Christmastime with being full. This season lends itself to good food and even better treats. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of leaning back from a special meal and loosening my belt a notch or two, then finding the nearest couch for a deliciously contented nap. Yet, Advent tends […]

Savoring Christ this Christmas I had never baked a Christmas cookie beside a gingerbread man before I met the woman who would one day become my mother-in-law. My family had its own traditions—expansive homemade gingerbread houses and chocolate truffles—so Christmas cookies seemed a bit superfluous. I had experienced nearly eighteen years of my life before […]

Savory Recipes and Savoring Christ One of our family favorite recipes is our holiday bread. We call it pull-apart bread, and it’s just frozen bread dough thawed slightly, sliced, dipped in butter, and then baked according to package instructions. My mom makes five or six loaves for every holiday, and it’s a favorite for young […]

The Meaning of Advent Advent is a Latin word that means “coming.” There are two Advents in Scripture. The first Advent was the incarnation of Christ, and the second Advent refers to the future event of Christ’s return to defeat Satan forever and restore God’s kingdom.  As Christians, we base our entire lives upon the […]

In order to fully immerse ourselves in this season of Advent, we have to start at the very beginning and ask one simple question: Why?  Why do we celebrate Christmas? Why do we partake in Advent? I grew up in a Christian home with a lineage of pastors and a father who was also a […]

“And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth. My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him.” ~Psalm 89:27 We have ben so busy lately that my heart has been aching to find Jesus in everything. Packing, shipping, giving, cooking, […]