Too often I look at the stories in the Bible and say, “I wish I could be like that.” And then every once in awhile I find someone who reacts the way I would. Today, I can relate to Mary. Soon after her visit from the angel she did something I can relate to: she ran. Luke 1:39 tells us that Mary got ready and went in a hurry. Other translations read that she went with haste. In other words, she took off as soon as she could and didn’t look back. I imagine Mary was so unsure of what was happening that she went looking for answers. Looking for…

T’is the week before Christmas. Many of us are finishing up our shopping, busily wrapping gifts, and planning our “I still need to…” lists. It’s probably the last few days of school or work, and many of us will be welcoming or be welcomed as visitors in the days ahead. Visiting is one of my favorite traditions of Christmas. We purposely make time to see family and friends who are important to us. We gather around the table or the fireplace. It’s a special time we remember through the seasons. When we look at what the Bible tells us about the birth of Christ we can find several visits and…

Maybe your a little like me. Way back at Thanksgiving I made a plan. I even bought all the goodies to make my plan work. I made cute little bags for a “countdown to Christmas” activity with my kiddos. I listed out twenty-four things to put inside. I pulled out my Christmas devotional that spans December and its matching set of daily ornaments. I placed them all ready to get rolling in December. December first came. And went. And now, here I am on December seventeenth and I haven’t so much as cracked the book. The matching ornaments sit wrapped in the cellophane (despite owning them for 3 Christmases) and…