Dealing with Disappointment (at Christmas)

It is 100% certain that you will be dealing with people who have disappointed you during this holiday season. When we are around people who have disappointed us in one way or the other, a myriad of emotions are sent into frenzy by our brain. Particularly if these people who have hurt us are people

A (Blue) Christmas Prayer (2022)

Almighty God,Be with those who are dreading the Christmas season this year.Be with those for whom loss and despair occlude hope and light.Be with those facing empty chairs at their tables and those who will sit at their tables alone.Be with those for whom this season reminds them of where they have failed and what

Christmas is Messy

I don’t like messy things.  I like gleaming cars that look like you just drove them off the lot, straight offices featuring burled wood and immaculate homes that look they jumped out of a magazine.  I like weed-less, fresh trimmed lawns with perfectly edged sidewalks and landscaping that shows someone thought ahead.  I know that

A Dozen and One Pre-Christmas Hacks (2022 Edition)

We all know Christmas events and family gatherings can be stressful.  Especially this year. I get it.  Drama wrapped in beautiful paper and adorned with a bow is still drama. But I want to suggest that they don’t have to be terrible.  In fact, they can be pretty good…even in a pandemic! Like anything else in

My Constant Temptation (is to just check out)

My constant temptation is to simply check out. Cash it in, retire, unplug, disconnect, disappear into the woods with Melissa, our 200 year old rescue dog and a Bible and have no idea who becomes President in the next election.  Social distancing cubed.  The manic state of the world, a godless culture and our divided

How to Own Christmas Week (and stay sane doing it)

So it is almost Christmas!  Here are a baker’s dozen practical ways to help you down the final stretch! Finish up your shopping The week before Christmas is crazy at the retail centers and you don’t want to be at the mercy of the mail to deliver an on-line order before the wire.  Finish up.  Settle

A Story About Re-Conversion

I am releasing some Christmas stories from my books. This version was in “Exactly as I Remember it.” There will forever be an empty chair at our table. Our unborn son Liam would have been 21 this year. I would have loved to have had the chance to be his dad. A Story About Re-Conversion

A Place to Stand as the Holidays Near

My constant temptation is to simply check out. Cash it in, retire, unplug, disconnect, disappear into the Smoky Mountains with Melissa and a Bible and have no idea who becomes President in the next election. The troubled state of the world, our unsettled country and divisions within my denomination make me sad. Not mad, just

Resting in Christmas

One of the greatest life-challenges for me is moving past “things are not all as I wish they were.” The main reason is because “things are not all as I wish they were.” Especially at Christmas. I think the hack here is to focus on what you do have and not what you don’t. To

Seven Christmas Week Hacks (how to stay sane at Christmas)

  Seven Christmas Week Hacks So it is Christmas week!  Here are some practical Christmas Hacks to help you navigate the hustle and bustle of the next five days! Slow it down Don’t fly through things. Think of Christmas like a great steak and not a bad hamburger.  Savor every bite.  Christmas is way too