Advent: A Season That Says Something Great Is on the Horizon

The season of Advent means there is something on the horizon the likes of which we have never seen before… . What is possible is not to see it, ...

A History of Advent and Christmas Traditions

In an article for Christian History magazine, Elesha Coffman offers a fascinating history of Advent and Christmas traditions. While some might be tempted ...

A Lesson from the "Maggies"

A film made in 2002, The Magdalene Sisters, told the sad story of the "maggies" of Ireland. They got that nickname from Mary Magdalene, a revealing ...

Mother of Addict Discovers She's an Addict, Too

[My daughter], Allison,* came home for the weekend. She opened the door, didn't speak, and dropped her duffel bag. Smudges of mascara circled her ...

Lost Your Faith or Had None to Begin With?

Ian Leitch writes in Life Before Death! A Restored, Regenerated, and Renewed Life:

A businessman asked me if I would speak to his staff, and I readily ...

J. I. Packer on the Hope of Christmas

The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity—hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory—because at the Father's ...

John McCain Experiences the True Light of Christmas

During the 2008 presidential race, John McCain was asked by Time magazine to share his "personal journey of faith." In his article McCain shared ...

A Christmas Poem: "Because One Child Is Born"

More light than we can learn, More wealth than we can treasure, More love than we can earn, More peace than we can measure, Because one Child is born. ...

Aquinas on Explanations

To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.

—Thomas Aquinas, Italian Roman Catholic priest, ...

Experiencing the Beauty of Peace in Bethlehem

For reasons I cannot quite remember (perhaps the guidebooks or the guide himself told us it wasn't much to get worked up about), I wasn't excited ...