By Cynthia Kaan Bells are ringing. The trees are glistening. Everything is covered in snow. All seems right with the world during the Christmas season. But what if your friend or family member is missing out on the best part of Christmas – Christ? Here are a few ideas to help bring them back to [...]
By Doug Culp When Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol in December of 1843, the importance of Christmas was fading in England. People had lost sight of its meaning and relevance, a cultural state of affairs that we can certainly relate to today. This one story began to change all that with its immediate popularity [...]
By Dr. Cathleen McGreal As Christmas approaches and we begin to think of holiday journeys to see family and friends, it is easy to imagine being on the go! But a key part of our travels involves preparation: suitcases are emptied and aired out before they are filled, routes are planned to make sure we [...]
By Pete Burak In recent years, usually around the beginning of November, I’ve noticed a growing trend of Christians and non-Christians debating, arguing over and defending “the true meaning of Christmas.” Emotions run high; phrases such as “war on Christmas” and “materialism gone wild” are thrown about with either a tone of triumphant smugness or [...]
By Sue Parker Tory Schiller met Tyler Pierce eight years ago while in college. Tory grew up without a connection to any faith tradition, but as she got to know Tyler better, she felt a yearning to be a part of his strong Catholic faith. As she grew to love Tyler and accepted his marriage [...]
By Dr. Cathleen McGreal In his Prairie Home Companion radio broadcast, Garrison Keillor would invite listeners to follow the tale of Lake Wobegon where all women were strong and all men were good looking. Of course, their children were all above average! Your daughter’s B in math would allow her to be one of Lake [...]
By Pete Burak Everyone with glasses or contacts understands the sensation of seeing leaves on trees after putting on glasses for the first time. Prescription lenses bring into sharp focus what was once amorphous and indistinct. In some ways, nothing has changed, but as all you nearsighted readers know, seeing leaves again changes everything. In [...]
By Michelle DiFranco Albert Einstein once said, “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn’t happen at once.” Well, I’m not one to argue with a mind like Einstein’s, but, at my house, it usually seems that everything is happening all at once. And for busy adults, time is the ever-looming menace. Along [...]
Beef Bulgogi – A Gem from Korean Cuisine By Michelle DiFranco Once a month, we set aside a day to cook a multicourse meal as a family. But just as fun as making the meal is the research beforehand. We have the kids go through our collection of cookbooks the day before the big feast. [...]
