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…
Rest Beside This Weary Road
When the kids were little, we got in the habit of singing “Christmas church songs” before bed. We no longer sing these songs all year round, but in December, we…
AJB Recommends: Gifts for People Who Already Have Everything
For the past three years, I have taken Marilee with me on the annual trip to buy gifts for her eleven cousins. This year, she selected each gift—with confidence—in approximately…
Advent, Hope, and Canceled Parties
This year the calendar walks us through a season of Advent, hope, and canceled parties. The weird thing about being a practicing Christian in America in December is that the…
