Browsing Tag

Christmas

Gratitude

A few months ago, when I was writing devotions for Lent, I came across a Thanksgiving story that I turned into a Christmas story … and now I’m turning back into a Thanksgiving story. Well, sorta. You be the judge.

The story is in Luke 17:11-19 and (oddly) it reminds me of being a parent at Christmas.

Jesus enters a village. Ten lepers call out for healing, and Jesus tells them to head toward church and they’ll be healed along the way.

The ten lepers do this, and all ten are healed, but only one of them returns to thank …

Random Thoughts, So you think you're a writer?,

Advent Devotions

I’m been hinting about this . . . and now it’s time to share. Over the past year I’ve written a series of devotions for Advent. They are short (a one-minute read) and will be emailed each morning to your inbox. It all starts on November 27.

These are not your typical devotions. They have a junkyard flavor in the sense they are very, very human. It’s a road trip to Bethlehem, sorta.

These are also not your typical Advent insights. It follows the untold story of Mary & Joseph as they process everything happening around them. As I say …

Random Thoughts,

Baby Feet

As Christmas Day draws near, here is a reflection inspired by the conclusion of Salvaged.

Whether in medieval art or contemporary holiday cards, you’ve seen Christmas scenes with the newborn Jesus and his pudgy little feet. Yes, his feet. Hang with me a minute.

They are tender, soft, and adorable. Those same feet later carried him from Galilee to Samaria to Judea. They were covered in dust and washed with tears.

Ultimately those feet carried him to the cross, where he was brutally tortured by hammer and nail.

Only to rise again, triumphant.

As I wrote Salvaged I realized that …

PathLight, Random Thoughts,

Christmas Mystery

There is a mystery about Christmas that should eternally amaze us; The Almighty God, creator and ruler of all, becomes a child born in poverty. That, my friends, is a marvelous truth. It is why we celebrate Christmas.

Sometimes we are busy or distracted or simply weary of the story, so to our detriment we fail to be awed by this mystery. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “The lack of mystery in our modern life is our downfall and our poverty. A human life is worth as much as the respect it holds for the mystery. We retain the child in us …

Book Reviews, Random Thoughts,

Advent

Christmas is four weeks from today, so it is safe to say we are in the season of Advent.

My faith tradition did not place a big emphasis on the Christian calendar, with the exception of Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and of course Christmas Day. But there is great depth, even warmth, when we allow the seasons to enter our daily thinking.

This year I am going to read daily from the book God is in the Manger by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It is a collection of his letters from prison and a few of his sermons. If you are unfamiliar …

PathLight, Random Thoughts,

Christmas Greetings From PathLight

Recently wrote this for the PathLight email blast, but thought I’d post it here as well.
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David L. Fleming writes, “The son of God became poor by becoming incarnate. He embraced poverty in the circumstances of his earthly life. God was born in a stable manger and was given the name Jesus. His parents fled with him as refugees to escape a murderous tyrant. Later he lived a simple workman’s life in Nazareth. He became an itinerant preacher and teacher, without wife or children, without a home. He died utterly poor — stripped of even his clothing, an executed …

Uncategorized,

Hopyard Village

A fun new tradition for Hopyard Village, which is where my office is located. Hopyard is a shopping center in central Pleasanton at the corner of Hopyard & Valley. Thought I’d post this for my local friends and encourage them to go!

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