A Mom and Kid, Broken Down by the Side of the Road
Stranded by the side of the road, a mom and kid were able to continue home because of vulnerability shared with strangers.
Christmas Folklore in Iceland: The Yule Lads
An Icelandic child in the Middle Ages learned about mischievous trolls who arrive as Christmas draws near. However scary things get, you know that Christ is returning and all shall be well.
To Be a Dog Waiting Faithfully
My childhood dog would perch on the couch in front of the window to watch and wait for my Mom to come home. Such faithfulness can inspire us at Advent.
Finding Peace and Befriending Bears: Seraphim of Sarov
In the late 18th-early 19th centuries, Seraphim of Sarov fasted, prayed, and meditated for decades. He became a miracle worker, a source of peace, and a friend of bears.
The Affair of the Sausages: Huldrych Zwingli
Huldrych Zwingli once scandalized Catholic authorities by eating sausages during Lent.
Christmas without Advent? A Bride who Won’t Stop Wearing her Dress
Trying to celebrate Christmas every day of Advent is like a bride who’s so excited about her wedding that she wears her dress every day for weeks before the ceremony.
The Stories We Tell about our Enemies
A West African proverb: until the lion tells the story, the hunter will always be the hero. Hearing the stories, the understandings, the circumstances of those we disagree with is the path to peace along the way of Christ.
A Martyr to End Slavery: Rev. Elijah Parish Lovejoy
Elijah Parish Lovejoy was a minister and journalist who felt called to fight slavery. He refused to stop speaking out, to stop writing, to give up his cause. He was murdered by a pro-slavery mob.
Tea & Cookies with Protestors: Desmond Tutu
Desmond Tutu was still trying to bring down Apartheid in the mid-eighties. The powers that be hired protestors to try to smear Tutu, but he ended up sharing a tea party with them.
Role of Women in the History of the Church
Women had leadership roles in the early church, but then that power was taken away. Reformer John Knox railed against women’s leadership, as did men at a General Assembly meeting in America in 1811.