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My kids don’t say much about how I decorate the house for the holidays. White lights versus colored lights, to blink or not to blink, red and green bows or red and white ribbon, they really don’t care as long as our pine garland and white lights go around the…
On December 18, 2020, a 16-year-old girl entered my home. We had only met four times before this day, and she was now joining my family through kinship care in the foster system. My husband and I had entertained fostering before, but we had never taken a serious step—not until…
Peace on Earth, War and Peace. Intellectually I thought I understood what peace was…until I experienced the unbelievable peace that surpasses all understanding. Since then, I’ve not been the same. In 2004, I was expecting my second child, a son, due mid-January. On Halloween, I went to the hospital with…
Using “but” in a sentence places a condition on the entirety of a sentence, causing everything before the ‘but’ to be negated. At Christmas a few years back, a family member said to me, “Thank you for the gift, but this is not what I asked for.” Talk about a…
As a child, Christmas meant waking up in the early morning hours to see what “Santa” brought. My sister and I would get up way earlier than usual because of our sheer anticipation for our gifts. We would almost fly down the stairs and round the corner with excitement. Just…
I gave my heart to Jesus in my late teens. It was just before Christmas and the family who was fostering me for a few months introduced me to a paraphrase of John 3:16: “For God so loved Liz that he gave his only begotten Son, that if Liz believes…
I was adopted at birth, but my adoptive father died when I was only two years old. Having grown up without a father, I found it difficult to relate to God as a father. I had no frame of reference for what a loving father should look like until my…
Christmas was always a special time in the Russo household. Growing up, my whole family gathered for the Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve. We ate way too much amazing food, and my three uncles, who were skilled musicians, gave a musical performance that often led to impromptu…
In the 1600s, candles were used to light up Christmas trees and placed in windowsills to indicate where people could come worship. Not surprisingly, candles on Christmas trees caused many fires. Enter Thomas Edison’s brilliant light bulb invention that now allows us to safely decorate our trees and homes. Putting…
I don’t know about you, but this part of the Christmas story always clashes with my expectations of how God is supposed to work in my life. I expect that if I’m doing the right thing, it will be easier, more peaceful, and clear. This passage teaches me that my…
Have you ever caught yourself in the wrong place during the right time? The wise men had the right intention to worship Jesus and the right timing, but they were looking in the wrong place by assuming he would be found in Jerusalem. I know what it’s like to be…
In late December, the year is preparing for its death. I welcome the finality of the calendar year with the promise of something new on the other side. Though, every Christmas when I return to rural South Carolina to visit my parents, I’m inundated with home and memories from my…
There have been seasons in life when all I wanted to do was go to sleep. Physically exhausted. Patience worn out. My greatest joy was putting on my pjs and collapsing on my pillow. However, with young boys in the house, a rowdy chorus bursting into my room just as…
It always amazes me how God cares for us and speaks directly to our hearts, right where we are. In these verses, the angel was bringing the shepherds the best news of all history—the hope of waiting for the Messiah for generations had finally come to an end! But when…
I sat hunched over a pile of wooden pieces on our living room floor desperately trying to assemble a new doll stroller. It was going to be the perfect surprise for Christmas morning. Why had I waited until the night of Christmas Eve to put it together!? I scanned the…
When I read the Bible, I try my best to put myself in the situation or think about how I would react. If I can be honest with you guys, when I read this part of the story, this is where my mind goes. First, if this were me…I’d be…
Christmas at Seacoast is very special for me. In 2004, the Sunday before Christmas, I made the decision to attend church for the first time in 15 years—because I wanted to, not because someone else expected it. That decision changed my life! Sure, I’d been to church a handful of…
I will never forget the incredible Christmas gift I was given in 2020. That Christmas Eve, Seacoast Summerville Campus was holding some late services, and as part of the staff, I was going to miss some of the fun with my husband’s family. Traditionally, we spend the evening eating Chinese…
We are introduced to Mary in the most intimate of ways. We are told that she is a virgin, engaged to a man named Joseph, who comes from the family line of David, and her name is Mary. Usually when we meet someone, we learn their name first, and then,…
When you invite a group of friends over for dinner, you do not just plan that evening; you also plan the day leading up to that evening, perhaps several days before as well. You look at how much cleaning needs to be done and make sure there is time enough…
One of my favorite memories growing up in West Virginia was waking up on Christmas morning and opening the door to the basement. Living in the mountains, most homes have finished basements and often, families will gather there and enjoy time together. My grandparents’ basement was this magical place where…
Christmas is my favorite time of year. For me, the Christmas season reminds me that God has done something in Jesus Christ that changed everything. Today’s Scripture may not jump out as an integral part of the Christmas story, but if you allow it to, it will speak a word of…
Last year, the gold, waxed amaryllis bulbs arrived on our porch during November. My mother-in-law sent the special gift, knowing our plans to host family and friends for Christmas. We put the bulbs on the fireplace mantle and watched the stalks slowly sprout, as we prepared for a gathering of…
A world-altering change was being announced—bigger than any world war, pandemic, or global crisis. It’s Isaiah’s announcement of divine love being demonstrated through the birth of a child—Christ’s birth. This announcement would impact the life of every person ever created. It’s an announcement that can either be glossed over every…
What horror and grief Abraham must have felt when God told him to take his beloved son, Isaac, and offer him as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah. Isaac was the miracle son that Abraham had prayed for over a lifetime of being unable to have children. As someone who…
Our Christmas tree was visible from the street, shining with twinkling white lights through the bay windows. On the snow-covered lawn, stood a blue spruce tree adorned with colorful lightbulbs, almost as tall as our two-story house. Inside, my siblings and I ducked our heads under the tree branches decorated…
Have you ever wanted to run and hide? I was an amateur thespian in high school. One year, our drama group presented the play, Peter Pan, and I was Captain Hook/Mr. Darling. In one of the more dramatic scenes, Hook and Pan were engaged in a swordfight. I had a…
I know what you’re thinking. “That can’t be the right verse. Where’s Mary? Where’s Joseph? Where are the shepherds and the angels and the manger?” I realize this is a strange way to start an Advent devotional, but the road to Christmas starts here, at the very beginning, when everything…
