So - you’d all better make your little fortnightly trek over to the Purse! And I happen to know, from seeing all the comments on Lizzie’s post a few weeks back, that this is a crowd which is passionate about its cookbooks! So get yourselves on over there and enter.

Want to know whether it is appropriate to crochet in church or how to handle uninvited guests at weddings? Just ask my friend Sandi at Protocol Matters.  She answers those questions and many more at her website.

This is another article on Mary that I wrote for Table Talk some years ago.

The beautiful Christmas story should become more and more familiar and dear to us as the years go by. But this familiarity can blunt the force of the story if we are not careful. The mere fact of the Lord’s advent should never cease to startle and amaze us. Though the world grows weary of its own Christ-less celebrations, we should be increasing and “growing fat” in our joy and wonder at the marvel of God’s fulfilled promises in His Christ.

We are blessed to see the whole picture now: Christ has risen! But those present at the stable saw by faith. John the Baptist leapt for joy in his mother’s womb when he heard Mary’s voice. So ought we to leap for joy as we listen to her song in Luke 1. She has much to teach us about humility and exaltation, for she was and is exalted. But she was humbled first, for she indeed had her own cross to bear. But throughout her Son’s life, God sent Mary messages of help and comfort and confirmation through His servants. Thus, her story Continue reading ‘Mary’s Cross’

The Christmas build-up is famous for being prime stress-out time, particularly and especially for busy moms. So here is your annual gentle reminder to forsake all stressing out. Put all your worries, concerns, panics, and pressures (and lists of things you cannot possibly get done) in a big box, tie it with a ribbon, and put it away. Remember that all good things come with temptations, and Christmas is no exception. Being tempted is not the same thing as sin. Having temptations to get stressed out is normal, every day life. Giving way to the temptation is the problem.

Now a little stress is a good thing; without it we might not get very much done. Deadlines make us work harder, and there is no stopping December 25. But when stress turns into Continue reading ‘Wrap Up the Stress’

A few years ago I wrote this article on Mary for Table Talk magazine.

One of the glorious attributes of the gospel is revealed in the way God raises up the lowly, bestows honor on the unlikely, works good out of the worst circumstances, and uses great trials to bless His special ones. Christianity is no religion for the proud and haughty, for it contradicts mans fleshly wisdom and carnal reason. Who would have thought the Messiah of God would arrive on earth from the womb of a lowly young girl? As we look at Mary, mother of our Lord, we cannot separate her character from her remarkable circumstances and unique trials in bearing and mothering our Lord Jesus Christ. Her great blessing was accompanied by great suffering; indeed, in Scripture these are rarely separated. Her reverent demeanor toward God, her ready belief in God’s word through the angel Gabriel, and her obedience to her husband Joseph in the midst of great trial all commend her to us as a faithful, humble servant of God.

Reverence
When we first meet Mary in the Gospel of Luke, she is greeted by the angel Gabriel “who stands in the presence of God” (Luke 1:19). His astounding greeting must have been overwhelming to a young woman, but her response is simple belief, with a question: “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” (Luke 1:34). Her question is legitimate. It is one Continue reading ‘Blessed are You Among Women’

Pastor Randy Booth recently coordinated the compilation of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany readings, composed for your use by CREC pastors. Go here and you can choose to print from a couple of options. Merry Christmas!