Throughout our Advent Series: Light in Unexpected Places, we have lingered in the shadows, trusted midnight, waited with the light, and rested in silence. Each paradox prepared us for this moment: the spark has ignited, the dawn has broken, the fragile flame now becomes the Light of the World. On Christmas morning we discover that every shadow was shaping us,…
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We imagine light as instant, a switch flipped, a candle lit: but Advent reminds us that light waits. Dawn’s arrival comes not with a hurried appearance, it lingers on the horizon, yawning across the sky. So, too, God’s promises unfold in rhythm, not haste. Advent is the season where we learn that waiting is not wasted, but the very shape…
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We often imagine Advent as a season of candles piercing the dark with the gift of Light. But what if the shadows themselves are part of the gift? Without shadow, light has no shape, no texture, no contrast. Scripture reminds us God Himself chose to dwell in thick darkness (1 Kings 8:12), a mystery that reframes our waiting. In the…
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Advent is the season of light— but not in the way we usually imagine. We often picture candles glowing against winter nights, or the star guiding the Magi. Yet the deeper truth of Advent is that God’s light often appears in unexpected, even counterintuitive places. Resting in the shadows, in midnight hours, in the mundane of waiting, or in the…
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If you live in the United States, as soon as the calendar flips to November, thoughts turn to Thanksgiving preparations. But with Christmas right on the heels, even those living around the world anticipate a busy holiday season. In rapid succession these thoughts turn to family gatherings. But for some, the thought of family gatherings conjures feelings of anxiety or…
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Mesmerized by the myriad choices of sea salt at a local gourmet shop, I had an epiphany. Maybe it was fueled by my morning reading in Matthew 5, but my mind went to Christians as the salt of the earth. (Matthew 5:13-14) The visual before me of so many unique salts came alive as I pondered those verses. The metaphor…
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Have you ever stepped onto a familiar path and still felt uncertain about what lies ahead? Whether the quiet predictability of a morning walk or the emotional terrain of a hospice shift, each day holds unknowns. I walk many such paths—some lined with routine, others shadowed by sorrow or surprise. And yet, no matter how well-worn the way, true clarity…
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Some mornings, grace arrives on tiptoe with a warm cup of coffee, rather than in a grand gesture or a dramatic revelation. Greeting the morning stillness while watching the gentle steam rising from the coffee cup, as golden sunlight spills across the kitchen table, brings a sacred quiet to my soul. These small, ordinary moments are easy to overlook, yet…
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