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Do You Hear What I Hear – An Internal GPS Isaiah 30:21 reads: Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (NIV) Our car has a GPS. Helpful, yes. Always reliable, no. Like the time our destination…

Angel dreams and an old Christmas box filled with yellowed letters drive the mysterious storyline as the reader and the protagonist try to answer Mary Parkin’s question of “What is the first gift of Christmas?”. I love the work of Richard Paul Evans and his short novel, The Christmas Box, is first in his trilogy…

December. Furniture shifts to make room for the tree. Angels peer down from the fireplace mantle. Shiny balls cling to the tree as Zuno’s tail sends them swinging. He is heading for the kitchen with visions of sugarplums (or something edible) in his head—like a candy cane. Helen Haidle’s Candymaker’s Gift tells the legend of…

Great Expectations “Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, ‘What then is this child going to be?’ For the Lord’s hand was with him.” Luke 1:66 (NIV) What are you going to be when you grow up? You’ll hear this question many times until you finish school and get a “real” job. Then the…

Barbara Robinson’s Best Christmas Pageant Ever holds a top spot on my list of best holiday reads. Hilarity ensues when the six, out-of-control Herdman kids show up for Sunday School and decide to join the church’s annual Christmas pageant. Since all of the other kids are scared to death of the Herdmans, the Herdman family…

This holiday season, open the cover of a Christmas classic and step into the world of Ebenezer Scrooge. Treat yourself to reading Charles Dickens’s Christmas Carol and then enjoy the movie too. My husband loves the version with George C. Scott. I watched The Muppet Christmas Carol while I decorated the tree. Dickens’ witty dialogue cracks me…

Yield Signs My daughter will begin driving soon. Driving classes, practice hours behind the wheel, and tests over Texas driving laws will soon consume her time. She will learn to navigate both the freeway and the parking lot, and she will learn to observe road signs, like the yield sign. This bright yellow triangle indicates…

 Zuno suggests celebrating St. Nicholas Day (Dec. 6) with Clement C. Moore’s Night Before Christmas. The Night Before Christmas: The Classic Illustrated Edition, compiled by Cooper Evans and Harold Darling, showcases illustrations from as early as 1890. Watch Santa change over time as he sports black trim instead of white and numerous hats in a variety…

Fairy tales go bad in The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. When princess after princess fails to notice the pea under the mattresses, the prince takes matters into his own hands and substitutes a bowling ball. Little Red Running Shorts races the wolf to her granny’s…

Satisfaction Hot apple cider, warm pumpkin bread, Frito chili pie, turkey and cranberry sauce. I like the foods that come with fall. The wind begins to turn northerly, bringing cooler temperatures, brightly colored leaves, and foods that range from spicy to fruity. Psalm 104 reminds me that the food I eat, every day, comes from God’s…