“Are you excited for Christmas?” I ducked my head, suddenly interested in the specks at the bottom of my mug of passion fruit tea. As the silence drew long, I finally met her gaze. No use hiding, I thought to myself. “Not really,” I admitted. Her eyebrows shot up, but her eyes softened. “Why is that?” she asked. I took …
For the last few years, I’ve been on a mission to redeem Christmas. Not from over-commercialization or de-Christianization, but from bad memories. For me, the Christmas season carries a heavy load of memories about arguments over tree toppers, disappointments because I didn’t get someone “the perfect gift,” and general ill-feelings that I’ll never measure up. I’d venture a guess that …
As a child, the one thing I wanted to find under the Christmas tree was a book. Preferably, lots of books. Growing up on the Romanian mission field, there weren’t many books in English to be found, and I had a hard time entering worlds painted with Romanian words. Finding an English book on someone’s shelf was like meeting a …
Unwrapping the Names of Jesus is an Advent Devotional for women. On the surface? It’s a study about the different names of Jesus. But really? It’s about how the gift of Jesus brings new life and great joy the deeper we know Him, an especially powerful awakening during the Christmas season. It’s designed for the woman who wants more from the season …
I’m thrilled to invite my good friend Wendy Speake over into my virtual living room today here at One Thing Alone Ministries. More than once, I’ve texted Wendy to ask for prayer and wisdom. “My daughter is doing X. How do I respond in love?” And without fail, Wendy always offered words of wisdom that pointed to the Living Word. …