A month threaded through with quiet grace, encompassed by hope. Of remembering that we are a chosen people, called out of darkness into His marvelous light. He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger. Of feasting and celebration, and allowing the Light of Life to well over and dispel the grief of the…

     The stack of old books toppled to the floor. “Drat,” Betsy muttered to herself, bending to pick them up. A cloud of dust billowed up to greet her, and she sneezed, hard.      It was nearing midnight on Christmas Eve, 1915, and the streets of London were eerily quiet. With most men away on…

“The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, And upon those who sat in the region and shadow of death Light has dawned.” – Matthew 4:16 Advent comes just when we need it most. In the darkest, coldest season of the year, when despair and sadness try to seep into our hearts, the Light of the world shows up in…

A month of tawny russet fields under blustery skies. Of walking in the rain and tilting my face to the sky to let the raindrops wash the fog out of my soul. Of loss and tears and saying goodbye to our Opa. Of geese flocking together in soggy fields of green before winging their way…

“To show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9 I have taken a number of journeys in the dark. Whether it be an evening walk, leading a group of campers on a hike through the woods, or driving a twisting forest…

A month of crimson and gold, of woodsmoke and windsong in the tops of the trees. Of crisp, dappled, slow mornings steeped in quietude, and dark but luminous evenings. Of writing in coffeeshops with wind whistling round the eaves and La Vie En Rose playing, of falling leaves and birds ever flying south. A month…

The last sigh of summer. A month of sunrise and thunderstorms, of violence in our country, and tears, and struggling to keep on keeping on. Of remembering that we serve the God who is never caught off-guard. The month I recklessly decided to go back to school. A month of long walks, and hot drinks,…

I don’t like not knowing where I’m going. Most of us don’t, I suppose. It can be a dark and dangerous world, and to have guidance is some measure of consolation against the unsurety of the path beneath our feet. But most of the time, that’s not how it works. We don’t know what lies…

     Many long lives of men ago, in the days when kings ruled, in a distant land a man fled his home with a troubled heart and traveled far into the cold north of the country. It was a land of deep blue lakes and green hills, snowcapped peaks and thick woods, and the man’s…

The sky was aflame. I have found that there is something resurrecting about a plane ride. Whether you are traveling somewhere new or familiar, homeward bound or off to the ends of the earth, to get there, you usually have to hop on a ride through the sky. The details of your life, your physical…