And Mary said, “My soul magnifies and exalts the Lord, Luke 1:46 Amplified Bible I’d never really stopped and thought much about this verse before. Then it came up in a sermon. This line grabbed my attention hard. First, Gabriel went to an old priest named Zechariah. Zach and his wife Elizabeth were childless and described as … Continue reading Magnifies, by Debb Hackett
I’ve been burning a lot of incense lately. No, not to get in touch with my 1960’s inner child. I want to discover why incense (frankincense in particular) was a pleasing offering to God. Then I’d like to understand how it relates to the birth of the Christ child. Frankincense is referenced on several occasions … Continue reading Frankincense, by Melissa Carey
“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4-5). Have you ever read the back of the box of your Christmas lights? I have. The WARNING label goes a little like this: These lights are overrated and … Continue reading Light, by Beth Duewel
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11 (NIV) I make a pretty decent muffin, cookie, bar and cake. Really, I can make people smile with most things … Continue reading Gifts, by Debb Hackett.
And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me” (Genesis 21:6 NKJV) There are few things as contagious as the laughter of a toddler. The sheer innocence and often unexpectedness takes hold of everyone within hearing distance. When our first grandson was still a baby, we would put … Continue reading Laughter, by Lori Altebaumer