“I always believed in God. I didn’t always know He believed in me.” -Matt Maher from Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers
I heard those words as I sat in the dark movie theater. It was a record-screeching, everything comes to a halt, moment.
I grabbed my phone and the friend next to me simply said, “Yup.” She had heard it too, ... Read More
Left or right, Dad? Left. Up or down? Down.
The ornaments were laid out on the tray table in front of my father. As I picked each one up, I’d ask him where we should put it.
This is the first tree my dad and I have decorated together in at least 25 years. I was 21 and he was 58. Both ... Read More
Saul is a college basketball coach. He came home from practice the other night, and as usual, called out, “Hellooooo!” as he opened the door.
As usual, he dropped his work stuff on the floor and headed straight to the kitchen.
After he got some food in his belly, he returned to the couch, as usual, and opened his computer.
Once he got ... Read More
I’ve noticed something over the past nine years of writing this column. Acts of Christmas kindness seem to have a special ability to stay with us throughout years and even decades.
Two women have shared just those types of kindness with me in the following stories. The first is from Gretchen Robinson from South Hill, VA.
“My kindness story happened ... Read More
I walked past the green and red shoeboxes and my heart caught just a little bit. I was in the middle of Hobby Lobby and my senses were overwhelmed with plaid pillows, glittery ornaments and ceramic Santas. But it was the tidy stack of boxes that held my attention.
Those boxes are a connection to the precious innocence of my now-teenage ... Read More
Crime shows, murder-mysteries, suspense novels… are you hooked?
Do you love the adrenaline rush that comes from not knowing what will come next?
Not me. I like everything laid out and unfolding according to plan. If I can guess what happens next in a show, even better.
Life sometimes has a bit of mystery to it, and that’s not all bad. Sarah VanRoekel, ... Read More
I lost my dear friend, Tom, just before Christmas.
He was in his late 80s and his quality of life was diminishing, but even so, it’s hard to say goodbye.
One of the great gifts of these past six months was the amount of times I was able to visit Tom and his wife, Ann. My family’s move from Ohio to South ... Read More
Have you heard of the Elf on the Shelf?
We have one living with us. He magically arrived one day back when my kids (now teenagers) were toddlers. His name is Carl. The kids knew never to touch Carl or he would lose his ability to fly back to the North Pole each night and tell Santa how good the kids ... Read More
I’m pretty sure my new neighbors think I’m crazy. We had a nice weekend by South Dakota standards so I decided it would be a great time to put up Christmas lights. You know, just get them set up so we’re ready to turn them on in a month or two.
The first clue I was up to something suspicious ... Read More
You know those super awkward moments where everyone is standing in an elevator and no one is talking? They seem to happen anytime we find ourselves in a contained area with a bunch of strangers.
I had a moment like that recently when I was flying somewhere by myself. I had parked the car in the cheapest airport lot, which meant ... Read More
