What if Mary Wasn’t Exceptional?
What if Mary wasn’t exceptional? What if she wasn’t particularly pious or good or faithful? What if she was just a typical Jewish teenager? There are two reasons I think…
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Jesus’ Name Is Healer
Did you know that we could translate Jesus’ name with the word healer? To explain what I mean, I need to take you down a little bit of a rabbit…
How to Slow Down at Christmastime
I’ve spent a lot of time lately thinking about how I’m not ready for Christmas, and I wonder how to slow down at Christmastime. I talk about that on today's…
Give a Book for Christmas
We are in countdown-to-Christmas mode, which makes me feel very insecure because every time William reminds me how many days are left until presents are supposed to be under the…
Friday Favorites: Christmas Music (and More)
If you are looking for some Christmas music to usher in this holiday season, here are a few possibilities that aren’t quite as well known as, say, Holly Jolly Christmas:…
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Still Time to Join Me This Advent Season!
If you are still looking for a way to prepare spiritually for Christmas this year, you can still order Prepare Him Room (order here) and get it in time to start…
Christmas: Prepare for a Party
As we prepare for Christmas, we prepare for a party, to celebrate. For many years, I’ve thought about Christmas as a time to “prepare room” for Jesus. I’ve usually thought…
AJB Recommends: Holiday Favorites
Last night, William and Marilee and I cuddled in my bed together to watch The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, one of my holiday favorites. It’s only 48 minutes. It is…
What Repentance Has to Do With Christmas
It was only this year that I learned that the four weeks of Advent (the season in the church calendar that leads up to Christmas) have different themes. They come…
The Healing Work of Salvation
How is salvation "healing work"? Early on in Matthew’s Gospel, he writes that the angel told Joseph to name Mary’s son Jesus because he would “save his people from their…
