January 22, 2026

Image: Barbara Ryther Joy Cometh   Joy doesn’t wait for sadness or fear to move aside and make way  It comes in its own time   It may come quietly The sight of the first crocus braving the old gray snow cover The taste of your grandmother’s Christmas cookies...

January 8, 2026

The Gift of the Mage The mage packed for the journey, sending his wife to pick out a present. “Who is this for, anyway?” “A baby.” “So… a blanket? Tapestry?” “He’s supposed to be the Messiah, maybe? A king? That’s what the prophecies say.” “Better bring something...

December 23, 2025

Image: Kathryn Yingst Finding Bethlehem It was an especially frigid night.  “Will you come with me? Let’s go and see,” I said to my husband. I had wanted to get a better view of the super moon. We put on extra layers and headed to the shore. Pulling up to the beach,...

November 27, 2025

GRACE I sometimes joke that if I ever win Megabucks I am going to start a foundation called “The Undeserved Grace Foundation.” This always leads my sister Laura to remind me that Grace, the love of God, freely given to his children is always undeserved. We grew up in...

October 30, 2025

  Random Acts of Kinship   The phrase jumped off the page of the book at me. “Random acts of kinship.”    “Yes,” I thought, “of course!” What we need now more than ever are random acts of kinship, the acknowledgement that we are in fact related and we belong...