Lord, teach me. . . .

I hope that in this year to come, you are making mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something. –Neil Gaiman It’s that time again. Time to set aside the old and take up the new. Time to reflect, to discern where we accomplished good things—and where we could use some improvement. For some folks, the end of the year means sitting down and writing one or more resolutions for the New Year. Problem with so many resolutions, though, is that they’re old hat. The same old, same old. Nothing new or radically different. Ho hum. Why bother to make a resolution if you’re not willing to take a chance and strive to do something that actually might make a difference in our lives and the world ? Change is good. Upset—even upheaval—can be a very good thing. Reso

It is now, at Advent, that I am given the chance to suspend all expectation . . . and instead to revel in the mystery. –Jerusalem Jackson Greer Advent can be a season of watching. We watch as nativity scenes spring up. We peer into the cradle, looking for the Christ Child. Christmas carols, Christmas pageants all invite us to come and see. But there’s more to this season than simply standing by and looking. Besides the standard nativity figures—Holy Family, shepherds, Magi—I believe there is one more figure that’s a necessary part of every nativity. It’s you . Pause for a moment and let your mind wander in to that first Christmas, when Jesus was born. Instead of merely looking in as an outsider, like we glance at a Christmas card, place yourself in the scene. Maybe you see yourself as Zechariah or Elizabeth, receiving news of an unexpected pregnancy long, long after you thought those days were over. How do you react when the angel Gabriel shows up? Or perhaps

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable,  to be compassionate,  to have it make some difference that you have lived  and lived well.  --Ralph Waldo Emerson It’s that time of year, when every other piece of mail is a request for a donation from Boys’ Town, Sierra Club, The American Heart association—the list is endless. And the worst part is, when you send a check, immediately you get a letter asking for another one. It’s hard to say no , but it’s hard to say yes to everyone who asks. The thing about sending a check is, it’s easy. We feel good about helping someone or some cause, and it hardly takes any effort on our part. And that’s great. Really. But I would like to challenge you to get your hands dirty this year. Instead of just sending a check to some distant, sterile clearinghouse organization, why not pick up a few gift cards to local grocery stores and give them, face-to-face, to folks you pass day in and day out? It’

No one is excluded from calling upon God, the gate of salvation is set open unto all people; neither is there any other thing which keepeth us back from entering in, save only our own unbelief. –John Calvin I was raised in the church. From the time I was very little, Sunday morning meant going to church. Sunday school meant reading Bible stories and taking home a paper filled with pictures of children in Jesus’ loving presence. The stories, the words all pointed to one thing: a loving God whose love has no boundaries. This was the message I grew up with. But somewhere along the way, it seems, some church leaders started reading a different version of the Bible than the one I grew up on. Or maybe they felt they knew, better than anyone else, what Jesus really meant when he instructed us to love one another . I don’t know about that. Somewhere in Scripture ( Luke 2:49 ), it says the son knows the Father’s business better than anyone. For someone to suggest they know God

I believe forgiveness is the best form of love in any relationship. It takes a strong person to say they’re sorry, and an even stronger person to forgive. –Yolanda Hadid For many of us, this time of year is filled with opportunities to get together with family and friends, to break out the old family favorite recipes, fill the house with wonderful holiday smells, and gather round the table to share a meal—and more—in love. But I wonder if there is someone missing? When your family gathers, is there someone you wish were there, but who hasn’t attended for years , because of something that happened so long ago that no one even remembers anymore? Or maybe the offense is more recent. Maybe it’s about politics, or religion, or the person someone wants to share their life with. Who is missing from your gathering this year? Before you address another Christmas card, before you begin checking out the ads for the groceries you’ll need for The Big Meal, stop. Who’s on your