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As we gradually wrap up this holiday season and soon return to our more usual rhythms and routines, I’ve been recalling memories of various celebrations and time with loved ones over the years. I’ve taken a trip down memory lane as I look at the vari…
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When I was about five years old, I started lying on the floor under the Christmas tree in the evenings. Coincidentally (or maybe my parents did it on purpose), every year, the same ornaments were hung on the same lowest branches. I loved how the ligh…
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I just returned from a wedding in Asheville, N.C., and it’s got me thinking about trees. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, you know that trees are plentiful. It’s the abundance of oak trees in the…
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I am a reader and always have been. As a child, I recall luxuriating in the feeling of being curled up on a couch with a book, absorbed in a story and a world far removed from my actual surroundings. Anything and everything could simply pass me by –…
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It’s Advent, the time of waiting and preparing for Christmas, for Christ’s birth. Traditionally, each week of Advent carries a particular perspective, leaning into one characteristic of faith which is essential to the Christian life. This first week…
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A few weeks ago, I was driving home when I noticed something somewhat unique: a man riding a unicycle down the sidewalk. I have no idea where he was going or how far he planned to travel. As I sat at a red light, I marveled a bit at how he was able t…
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Some days I feel like I have officially gotten old. I mean, 41 is not old by many standards, but some days I feel it. Luckily, not in my physical self as I am fortunate to be in good health, and putting my feet on the ground every morning is neither…
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I knew a pastor who had a small, framed painting of a mail carrier on her office wall. It wasn’t a particularly unique piece of art, it looked like a postcard set into a frame. It clearly meant something to her, so I asked her about it. In res…
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Never did I imagine that putting siding on a house would count toward the ‘other duties as assigned’ portion of my job description. This past week, on the annual mission trip with the Appalachian Service Project, I discovered myself doing exactly tha…
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I adore my children. They are quite capable of doing many things, but keeping their rooms clean is not among their talents. I think it’s due to their creativity and full lives, but when the time comes to clean, they become easily overwhelmed. They ju…
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I hit every single red light that evening. All of them. Between my home and church, heading south on Welcome Way, rather than the typical Jersey Ridge route, there are seven traffic lights. Some of them change frequently, some don’t. My kids and I hi…
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Today is the second day of 20 during which Iowans can vote in this year’s general election. Illinois is already halfway through its early voting period. For many, I suspect, this brings a measure of relief: the end of this political season can now be…