Advent devotion: Afraid of the dark

I am afraid of the dark. We’ve all got fears, right? Sometimes our fears are rational, sometimes they’re not. Spiders, heights, tornadoes, etc. For me, it’s the dark. I can’t explain it. When I wake up in the middle of the night and walk down the hal…

Advent devotion: Northern lights

We stood in icy snowbanks up to our knees, teeth chattering, staring up into the cloudy sky above us. We stomped our feet to warm up and stood some more, but there was no break in the clouds. After an hour, we got back on the bus and drove further no…

Advent devotion: Second chances

During the four weeks that make up the Advent season, the days get shorter and the nights get longer. To help compensate for that darkness, people put up lights and displays to help celebrate the Christmas season. I decorate my own house with outdoor…

Remembering the homeless

Huddled together in the brisk morning air in downtown Davenport, a few dozen people remembered those without a home in the Quad Cities. The listened to 33 names, read aloud, of men and women who died this year. Sedrick and Richard, Rosanne and Amber….

Advent devotion: Linens

The essential element of baptism is water, poured out as grace. But nobody, baby or grown up, wants water dripping down the bridge of their nose. So out of necessity, we have on hand at baptisms these small little cloths, ready to dry off a forehead…

Advent devotion: Memory care

Alzheimer’s disease has a storied history in my family. My mom’s dad and a few of her uncles suffered from it, and in some ways, I’m very fortunate that I missed exposure to their suffering. It is a terrible disease, as it slowly robs us of our loved…

Advent devotion: A light to extinguish

There is a pure Light. It’s so miraculous, I cannot look upon it. Nor can I fathom the immense power to cast out darkness. But, I do know that it is there, even when I look away and ponder my own shades of darkness.We all see through our disabled len…

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Advent devotion: The sound of light

As a 13-year-old, my holiday season consists of band and choir concerts, gift shopping, decorating, keeping the cats out of the Christmas tree, holiday movie nights, and a holiday school spirit week. And this year, to add to the list I took on the pa…

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Advent devotion: Barely smoldering

Sometimes, we all need a little light. In my case, the darkness can be from major, chronic depression. Around the holidays and the cold, long winter are prime depression seasons for me and many of the others who live with the disease. Depression does…

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Advent devotion: His handsome face

I remember the exact moment the University of Iowa psychologist gently told us that our two-year-old son was being diagnosed as having autism. I remember the weight of those words and the feeling of devastation as all the hopes, dreams, and goals I h…