What Really Mattersby Dawn MeehanIn the hustle and bustle and commercialism of Christmas, take time to remember the real reason why we celebrate - the birth of Christ, our Lord and Saviour. May you all have a blessed Christmas!I had a VERY long day with the kids doing...

All Decked Out For Christmasby Maureen LangOne of the reasons so many of us love the holiday season is that it's just so...pretty! Twinkling lights, shiny ornaments, packages that glisten with bows and fancy wrapping. Our houses are trimmed with wreaths and glowing...

Magnificatby Anna JoujanHoly. Holy. Holy is the Lord. The familiar catch of breath. The sting in the eyes. And the tears begin to flow with the falling rain. Or do the tears fall with the flowing rain. What is it in these words that I whisper that wrenches at my heart...

A Soggy, Jolly, Holly Christmasby Melody CarlsonOne of my most memorable Christmases started out as a natural disaster. But isn't that a bit how a pearl is formed? An oyster's soft easy life is disrupted by the invasion of sand, but something good comes out of it....

Calling Elizabeth ... HELP! by Tricia GoyerMary, the mother of Jesus is one of the most well-known women of all time. She was also a teen mom facing an unplanned pregnancy. This Christmas we will see evidence of Mary's story all around us. And as you hear it through...

The Answerby Susan May WarrenWhos, Here, we are Whos here, smaller than the eye can see. Whos here, we are Whos here, I'm a Who and so is she...I've always wanted to live in a musical. When I was a kid, I loved Oklahoma, Sound of Music, West Side Story. I seriously...

Christmas in a Barnby Mary DeMuthThe Christmas of 2006 we were homeless. We didn't have keys. Not to a car, not to a home. We'd flown halfway around the world, leaving behind a ministry we toiled over. Much, particularly in our hearts, lay in ruins.Some friends had a...

12 Pearls of Christmas: Faith, Hope & Love The Pearls We Pass Downby Holley GerthTen years ago my Grandma Frances went home to heaven in her sleep just before Christmas.My Grandpa carefully handed me a brightly-wrapped box on Christmas morning and said, "This is her...

12 Pearls of Christmas: God Provides a Way A Long Ago Christmas Memoryby Patricia CrisafulliThe old farm on a dirt road in the backwoods of northern New York State was described to me so many times, I can imagine the place, even though I never saw it: the big frame...

12 Pearls of Christmas: Jesus Comforts How to Cope with Christmasby Stacie Ruth StoeltingLast night, I dreamed that God resurrected my beautiful adopted aunt, Mary Jo Hoffman. But morning renewed my mourning for her: Christmas trees, snow globes, and music greeted my...