There are no words to encapsulate the pain of watching someone you love dearly fade before your eyes. Like a flower in the field so beautiful one moment but all too quickly the bloom has wilted and the stem is drooping. In my second book in the Shenandoah Valley Brides, Amelia's Heartsong, I had a key hero pass away so that I could intentionally write about grief and how to walk through that valley. Those words come back to haunt me now and bid I live my own advice. I've traveled through grief before losing my dear nephew Tyler, my dad,  my brother-in-law Colin, and a number of good friends, but it never gets easier. My baby sister,...

Has life given you lemons when you expected ripe fresh peaches? Are you disappointed in your story? Is your marriage challenged? Are your children not all you dreamed they'd be? Is your career sucking the life out of you? Are you lonely? Did you wake up one day to find yourself a single parent? Are your finances less than you hoped as you head into retirement, or try to raise a family? Is lack of health dictating your future? Is your extended or blended family a huge drain? Are you disappointed in God orwonder if He even cares? In writing fiction, I hope to infuse real life dilemmas to encourage the reader in their own walk. In Katherine's Ar...

This is not the type of blog I typically write. It is a plea for support but not without its reward. This piece of beautiful art has been created by my sister Donna for a God-inspired purpose, and you can be part of the story. Cancer is No Respecter of Persons. Every family is touched by cancer in some way sooner or later. Our family had two devastating blows this past year. First, my nephew, Isaiah, a strapping young man in his thirties with a wife and two little girls gets a cancer diagnosis that changed their world. The timing could not have been worse. It was the summer in-between teaching jobs as they had just moved to Vancouver Island f...

Day 2 AD A somber lies over the city of Jerusalem. Jesus is dead. The skies open and heaven weeps a thousand tears. The Messiah has been cornered, crushed, crucified. Tortured for our transgressions. A mammoth rock and soldiers that guard the tomb seem to have the final word. The day is dark. Dreary. Disappointing. The disciples huddle in an upper room full of defeat. Their Teacher has departed. The women weep. But WAIT FOR IT! All is as it should be… The quiet is part of the quest for hidden treasure. The sorrow is part of the solace. The tears are part of the triumph. A plan with a purpose slowly unfolds. WAIT FOR IT! God is never aloof, or...

Each year as Easter approaches, both Suzie and I (Blossom) fight a war inside our soul. An internal conflict ensues as to whether to watch The Passion of the Christ or not. The events leading up to that fateful hour of death on an excruciating cross are horrific. We feel drawn to watch the depiction of the crucifixion as it helps the heart and spirit prepare for Good Friday and Easter. At the same time, we are both sensitive souls and cannot bear to see the kind, gentle Jesus viciously tortured with unbridled cruelty. The taunting, the shaming, the condemnation is too much. As empaths we feel the pain viscerally… to see our Rock, our Foundati...

Would you like to thrive and live with more passion, meaning and purpose? And…be able to give to others out of the beautiful creation you are? You can accomplish this by discovering your God-given gifts…what you are born with and what the Holy Spirit gives you at salvation. Natural Talent: God knit gifts into us at the time of our conception. These unique gifts are given with purpose…to help others and glorify God. Non-believers often refer to these gifts as natural talent. Are you born to sing, to write, to organize, to teach, to lead? Are you athletic, musical, or artistic and on the list goes? Everyone is born with something they excel in,...

Information ascertained by Dr. Gary Chapman to help us understand our primary love language is hugely beneficial in growing our self-worth and in our relationships with our loved ones. It provides guidance on how to love, understand, and accept ourselves, as well as our partner or family members in a way that best expresses love. And let's face it, a happy marriage and peaceful family relationships bring life to our soul. The five love languages by Dr. Gary Chapman are:1 Words of AffirmationQuality TimeActs of ServiceReceiving GiftsPhysical Touch Dr. Gary Chapman so wisely states that Psychologists have concluded, "the need to feel loved...

Wow. I had no intention of sitting down today and writing this blog. In fact, I was quite disappointed my latest blog that I am co-authoring was not ready. I thought to skip this month and pick up next month, but God placed a burning in my soul. Words I would honesty, rather not write. But if there is one thing, I have learned it is to listen and obey. The urging of the Spirit started this morning when I was trying to find a YouTube song by Ray Boltz called The Anchor Holds for my sister who has stage 4 cancer. I was shocked to see the title Ray Boltz-The Anchor Holds and Ray Talking About Coming Out. This may be old news to many, but it...

If you are agonizingly lonely, or suffering for any measure of reasons, I know that the pain is amplified at Christmas when all should be merry and bright. Please read on… All month long when I pondered what to share in this blog, every Christmas theme seemed done a thousand times over. No inspiration came. Then I received sad news and did not feel like writing at all. However, God had a plan, and His timing is perfect. Now, mere days before Christmas I received a journal entry from my sister, and all was made clear. Trust me, this will encourage your suffering soul, but let me share the back story. (All with my brave sister's permission...

Has anyone ever told you that "you are too sensitive," or "you need to toughen up," or "you're overthinking things?" Or perhaps you are that person offering this advice to someone else. In keeping with the theme of this series of improving our self-worth, understanding how we are created is paramount and valuable. Statistics tell us that 20 percent of the population identifies with being a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) and most likely a large portion of the population lives with a child, or a spouse that is this way. (Equal number of men and women are highly sensitive, so this is not gender specific.) What does this mean? People born with thi...

What are core values?How will knowing my core values and living in alignment with them improve the way I feel about myself?How do I discover my core values By Blossom Turner and Suzie Zanewich Core Values: Core values can be described as the theme of your life and what is most important and deeply meaningful to you. Your core values are the guiding principles of your life, like that lighthouse in a storm beckoning you toward safety. Core values help you to make decisions and determine your behaviour under pressure or temptation. Though you may not have identified your core values, they shape you as a human being. They are the result of y...

What Benefits Are There in Knowing Your Strengths and Finding the Courage to Step into them? By Suzie Zanewich and Blossom Turner Today we are going to share two short stories of our own life in order to convince you how important it is to know what your strengths are and encourage you to step into them. We all tend to think we need to work on our weaknesses, but we are going to spin that on its head and suggest the opposite. Concentrate on your strengths and leave your weaknesses to God. Here's why… Suzie: I worked as an office manager in an orthodontic office for 15 years. I believed I would work there until retirement. Being that...

by Blossom Turner and Suzie Zanewich Have you ever wondered what the advantage of knowing what your personality type is, including the people you share life with? There is a reason we are created so differently, and why opposites attract and it all has to do with our personality traits. Personality type assessments provide a useful structure for recognizing and understanding normal, natural differences between people. When I first did my personality assessment, I was amazed to find that I could improve my self-awareness, understand my motivations and develop my natural strengths. How excited I was to find I could also improve my communication...

Step One: Discover your Creator… the One who knows you better than you know yourself. He will be your guide, wisdom, and power source.  by Suzie Zanewich guest blogger. Even before I knew Christ, God had a plan. He reconnected me with my dear friend Blossom, who is a true believer in Jesus Christ. He knew I was going to need someone who knew Him intimately and could teach and guide me to be a follower of Jesus. During our friendship talks when I had life questions Blossom would always direct me to pray and seek the Lord. She believed God would answer my prayers, and to my delight God did not disappoint. Through this beautiful friend...

What would an author of historical romance, a life coach, and a friendship have in common? And why should you read on? What does any of this have to do with low self-worth? Once upon a time…long, long ago, 50 years plus, there lived a little girl who believed the words shouted over her repeatedly, "You good for nothing filthy wretch." It took years for this little one, well into adulthood in fact, to shake this message and travel on a journey toward emotional health. It was not until she embraced God's love, combined with new thinking that she found she had energy and confidence to follow her dreams. Low self-worth drains a person and takes a...

 Life has not been easy for any of us in this covid-ridden world, a new variant announced the minute the old one has run its course, and the in-house fighting between the vaccinated and unvaccinated at the workplace, between good friends, and even within families. Satan is delighted with the division this is causing. And so, I propose we take the focus off the negative and intentionally breath in the truth of the advent season. I promise…joy will follow. The past few years I have found increased joy in celebrating the season with advent candles and what they represent. I would like to share this with you and encourage you to jo...

I was doing so well and then crash…that Christmas bobble filled with joy hit the floor and busted into a thousand smithereens. I feel no more qualified to write a blog on Advent joy than the Grinch. Unless … as the Spirit of God nudges, I choose to be open and authentic. These last few days I have struggled. According to Covid regulations in our province we are not allowed to have anyone in our home for Christmas. The one loophole was that a single person could have a grouping of two and our son was going to join my husband and me. Then he phoned to say he had to work, and my joy melted like a snowman at the equator. One by one a la...

In the Toronto Star this past week Omar Mosleh wrote about a coming phenomenon that has not been seen since medieval times and may account for the wonder that the wise men seen in the heavenlies when Jesus was born. "On Dec. 21, which is also the date of the winter solstice, the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn will appear to align in the night sky, occurring as a single ultra-bright light in a rare event known as the 'Christmas Star.'" (Though science tells us at the time of Jesus' birth, Venus and Jupiter were aligning.) Of course, I'm going to peek into the heavens on that date, but it's got me thinking. How like our amazing Father ...

With all the Covid restrictions this Christmas season, maybe, just maybe, there is a silver lining splitting through the dark clouds of gathering gloom. Could it be that God wants us to sloooooow down? Could it be in the hush, not the rush, in the stillness not the scurry, in the presence of God we find the present? The gift of advent has rendered my type A personality, the Martha in me, to slow, to still, to invite silence. Each morning as I read and meditate on the advent Scriptures a metamorphosis unfolds. Joy leaks into my soul one silent moment at a time. Advent candle number two is the "Bethlehem Candle," and it symbolizes faith. S...

This has been the weirdest year of my life. I long for normalcy—we all long for normalcy. Covid has become a much-abhorred household word and I will not linger there. The media has given that subject ample hype and played on the fears of mankind. Rather, I will focus on Christmas joy and how to obtain it, but it means taking a couple moments each day with intentional devotion. Curl up in a chair, with a hot cup of chocolate or cinnamon apple cider—Breath in the sweet fragrance of freshly cut boughs and picture a wreath centred in the middle of your table. It's made with evergreens, rather than leaf stripped branches for a good reason. The eve...

Our mind is a powerful force. Now I don't mean that in a new age, mystical way, I mean that because the Bible says so, because God says so. He created you and me, He should know. Philippians 4:8 instructs, "Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." Why do you think we would be instructed to think and even take it a step further and meditate on positive things? Well, I have a few people in my life who are glued to the news...

Come away with me for a moment in your imagination. I have a treasure for you tucked within the pages of an ancient text… Imagine you were born long, long ago. There is a king and you are a lowly servant far beneath his royalty. You are summoned to attend an ancient Middle Eastern court, but you have nothing special to wear, to give, to share. You wonder why the king would want you there. You're amazed when you hand over your invitation, sure you'll be accused of stealing it, but instead you're ushered in. You stay well back, near the door for a ready escape if anyone challenges your attendance. Your hands feel clammy, and a trickle of sweat ...

If you will be so kind as let me ramble a bit about why I wrote Katherine's Arrangement, I promise this will be relatable to you. Long before I even knew I could write, I loved to read. Being a hopeless romantic I gravitated to all romance stories either contemporary or historical. I soon realized that finding clean fiction but still written with the passion of love that God created humans for, was hard to find. (Just read Song of Solomon, God was not afraid to express passion without being explicit. After all, love and sex is His creation.) Given the gift of a writing career late in life one thing was for sure…I wanted to write clean romance...

Back in the 70's when I was a teenager, (I know I'm dating myself,) our youth group started a study on Revelation. Back then there were no computers for the everyday person. We did not have desktops, laptops, iPads and phones that we carried around. Technology did not have the capability to place a mark on people and track them, and many small countries had not yet heard the gospel in their language. In other words, the possibility of many of the things spoken of in Revelation actually happening at that time seemed like something out of a sci-fi movie. Not so today. All is in place. Technology has advanced to such a place where ever...

Have you ever had a circumstance you did not want? Have you ever been angry at that someone who brought about that circumstance? Or possibly even God? Well I am going to be honest and transparent. I am in that place working my way through. This past weekend we got a puppy. A strong willed, nippy, mouthy, adorable puppy. Her name is Lacy but should be Looney. Whereas our last dog Lyla was a gift from God, so easy, and so special, this one is special needs on steroids. I am struggling. I did not want, nor need this chaos in my already busy life. I have a mammoth yard to care for all myself, a whole household as my husband is always working, and...

Wednesday afternoon I was having a low energy and low day emotionally. I was falling asleep at my computer when I was supposed to be writing, my eyelids heavy, my heart even more so. I decided a break in the fresh air and a little prayer would pick me up. I pulled out my dust ridden chair cushions and my lounger chair and found a pocket full of sunshine in my back yard. I laid back. Ahh, now this was a good decision. I looked up into the sky where puffy clouds scribbled the blue and was reminded of what my sister Donna always does. She keeps her eyes up. She has sent me so many beautiful cloud pictures because her eyes are fixed above, not do...

Spring has sprung and I want to take a moment to just thank God. This blog will be a reflection of thankfulness and I'm hoping you will join me on this spring walk. I walk through the forest and I hear the wind whistling through the pines. They gently sway in rhythm to the song they are singing. The chatter of a mouthy squirrel lets me know not to ignore him. Birds dart and dip, chirp and join in a morning tune, one melody mingles beautifully with another like someone up there is creating a symphony. I thank Elohim, my Creator for the ability to hear. I climb a knoll to a spot where I can see a grand view of the Okanagan Lake, looking so...

Have you ever been in need? Really in need? I personally do not know what it would be like to not have food for my family, or a roof over my head, or not have the clothes I need to to stay warm. My physical needs have always been met. Matthew 6:31 says, "Do not worry, saying 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ...For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and HIs righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." Does this Scripture only pertain to not worrying about our physical needs or does it encompass a whole lot mo...

 NO need to fear. Let us take every anxious thought captive by praising and praying to our amazing God today. 5 minutes of solitude to meditate on the following name of God will lift your spirits. To know the names of God is to know His character. To know His character reveals His love. To understand His love eradicates all worry. Each time a worrisome thought arises today cry out to: Name of God: Yahweh-M'Kaddesh or Mekaddishkem—The LORD Who Sanctifies. What does it mean to be sanctified? It means to be made holy, set apart as sacred, consecrated. Just breath that in for one moment. Don't rush by this. You are made holy, and white ...

Encouragement during these times is must, a need, a lifeline. I was talking on zoom to a friend of mine. Her name is Holly. Even her name conjures up festivity, color and light. But her smile… oh if you saw her smile you would never forget it. She is one of the most vivacious personalities I have ever had the pleasure to meet. So here I am talking to this incredibly up person, this courageous soul who is a cancer survivor, this joy emitting vessel of Jesus, and I listen to the anemia this isolation has caused. I came to the conclusion, if she's feeling this way then I know many of you will relate. Here is what she shared. The natural ebb...

I was gently admonished for my blog last week from different sources. I heard things like I need to find things to be thankful for. I need to accept the laws of the land and not second-guess their wisdom. I was told to search for the deep in the solitude as Paul did under house arrest, or Dietrich Bonhoeffer or Nelson Mandela in prison. All of these suggestions have merit. And so, I prayed. I asked God to change my attitude. I spent time, real time, practising gratitude for the many, many wonderful blessings I have in my life, but no … my mind kept coming back to the following. I could not shake it. I grieve, and I mean literally grieve ...

I got up angry. I reluctantly joined the zoom church service - angry. I tried. I tried real hard to join in the piped in praise music. I even stood up as if I was in a church service and sang my heart out. Still angry. I listened to very good message on Palm Sunday, but when the preacher started reading how Jesus went into the temple and cleared away the money changers, the merchants, the money makers from them temple in obvious anger, I could finally relate. Yeah, God, I'm angry too. This virus has worked its evil in the best way possible. It has stopped the assembly of believers gathering together. We are not able to exh...

Let us take every anxious thought captive by praising and praying to our amazing God today. Offer up 5 minutes of solitude to meditate on the following name of God and what it means. To know the names of God is to know His character. To know His character reveals His love. To understand His love eradicates all worry. Each time a worrisome thought arises today cry out to: Name of God: Immanuel—God with us. Scripture: Is. 7:14; Matt. 1:23 Prayer: How comforting to know that Immanuel you are with us. You are true to your word, you have not, nor will you ever leave us or forsake us as Hebrews 13:5 promises. We are not alone. You are with us. Than...

Let us take every anxious thought captive by praising and praying to our amazing God today. Offer up 5 minutes of solitude to meditate on the following name of God and what it means. To know the names of God is to know His character. To know His character reveals His love. To understand His love eradicates all worry. Each time a worrisome thought arises today cry out to: Name of God: El Shaddai—The All Sufficient One, God Almighty Scripture: Gen. 17:1; Ps. 91:1, Job 11:7 Translated as God Almighty or Almighty God in our Bible Prayer: El Shaddai, nothing is too big for you to handle. We know you have this world in your trustworthy hands even i...

 Let us take every anxious thought captive by praising and praying to our amazing God today. Offer up 5 minutes of solitude to meditate on the following name of God and what it means. To know the names of God is to know His character. To know His character reveals His love. To understand His love eradicates all worry. Each time a worrisome thought arises today cry out to: Name of God: El Olam—The Everlasting God, The Eternal One. Scripture: Gen. 21:33; Is. 40:28; Romans 1:20 Prayer: El Olam you are the Alpha and Omega, The First and the Last. There is no beginning or end with you. I can trust you. You have all in your control. Amen Song:...

Let us take every anxious thought captive by praising and praying to our amazing God today. Offer up 5 minutes of solitude to meditate on the following name of God and what it means. To know the names of God is to know His character. To know His character reveals His love. To understand His love eradicates all worry. Each time a worrisome thought arises today cry out to: Name of God: Elohim—All-Powerful One; Creator, God Scripture: Gen. 1:1-3; Deut. 10:7; Num. 23:19 Translated as "God" in the Scriptures. Prayer: You, oh God, created the vast universe. You know every nook and cranny, every creature in the sea, every bird of the air, every blad...

Let us take every anxious thought captive by praising and praying to our amazing God today. Offer up 5 minutes of solitude to meditate on the following name of God and what it means. To know the names of God is to know His character. To know His character reveals His love. To understand His love eradicates all worry. Each time a worrisome thought arises today cry out to: Name of God: El—The Strong One. (God who overcomes all) Scripture: Exodus 15:2; Number 23:22; Deut. 7:9 Prayer: Dear God, You are the Strong and Mighty One, you overcome all our enemies. This Covid 19 virus is an enemy to humanity and we call out to you for mercy today t...

 Let us take every anxious thought captive by praising and praying to our amazing God today. Offer up 5 minutes of solitude to meditate on the following name of God and what it means. To know the names of God is to know His character. To know His character reveals His love. To understand His love eradicates all worry. Each time a worrisome thought arises today cry out to: Name of God: Adonai—My Lord, My Master. How comforting to know we are not alone we have loving Master. Scripture: Gen. 15:2; Ps. 8:9 "Oh LORD (Yahweh) our Lord (Adonai), How excellent is Your name in all the earth!" Translated in our Scripture as "Lord" i...

Let us take every anxious thought captive by praising and praying to our amazing God today. Offer up 5 minutes of solitude to meditate on the following name of God and what it means. To know the names of God is to know His character. To know His character reveals His love. To understand His love eradicates all worry. Each time a worrisome thought arises today cry out to: Name of God: Yahweh YHVH—The Great I AM, The One Who Is Scripture: Gen. 2:4; Ex. 3:14 YHVH is translated as LORD with caps in our Bible. All other Names in Scripture reveal God's work and His character, but this name Yahweh shows His substance. Prayer: Yahweh, You are the Gre...

Let us take every anxious thought captive by praising and praying to our amazing God today. Offer up 5 minutes of solitude and meditate on the following name of God and what it means. To know the names of God is know His character. To know His character reveals His love. To understand His love eradicates all worry. Each time a worrisome thought arises today cry out to:Name of God: El Roi—The God Who Sees MeScripture: Gen. 16:11-14; Ps. 139:7-12Prayer: Thank you El Roi for the comfort that You see me, my inner thoughts, my battles, my complexities and that you care intimately for me and my loved ones.Song: An amaz...

I don't know about you, but I'll be honest? Even though I know my Scripture and have my Jesus I have found myself on edge, and getting anxious at times this past week. What was a distant world problem a few weeks ago, is now on my doorstep. Though I prayed for the people of China, it seemed so far removed. Not so anymore. I am under self-quarantine because the dentist office I went to, (though knowing their staff had been at a dental conference where ten known cases of the Covid 19 virus was confirmed) continued to work. The health officials in BC deemed that the hysteria they may create by shutting down all BC dental offices outwei...

Time ... 365 ¼ days, 12 months, 52 weeks in a year, or 24 hours, 1,440 minutes, 86,400 seconds in a day leaves us with a question, what will be do with this precious gift? As I hunkered down this past week to meet a writing deadline with rewrites far more extensive than I had anticipated, I planned my week out in precise increments. It was prudent to get stingy with this thing called time. God would surely understand, would He not? This is what transpired. The Spirit of God gently wooed, "do not rush my time with you, dear daughter, take time to pray for those in need." My mother-in-law calls, she needs to go to the d...

I was so impacted by this one sentence I read in Ann Voscamp's book called The Broken Way that my spirit jumped within me. "The cells that only benefit themselves are known as cancer … Cancer is what refuses to die to self."1 I have been wrestling for weeks now with an issue of whether or not to succumb to external pressure and continue to silence the words God has been pounding on my heart to share with the world or … choose to be free. God never fails to speak when I openly ask for wisdom without telling Him how I want things to go. Here is my answer. This morning in my devotions it started with that quote above, where the whole chapte...

I made a commitment to live the Christian life as a believer of Jesus Christ at fourteen but have to say I knew the presence of God long before that. Through childhood trauma God met me in the thin places, the suffering moments, the fearful dark of broken humanity. By the time I was fourteen, I had little will to live and it was Jesus or suicide, so I thought I would give Jesus a try. Wow, I never looked back. The Holy One met me. With becoming a believer of Jesus Christ at that age and never turning back, there develops over time a sense of entitlement, a sense of pride in one's right living, or righteousness. I personally believed if I serv...

I came across Matthew 6:32, 33 … "for your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and all His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you," and something profound hit me. To truly believe in a Father who wants to supply our every need, we must first believe in a good, loving and kind Heavenly Father. If you struggle with the concept of a loving Heavenly Father because you associate the way your earthly parents treated you to God, then this blog is for you. We start out in life with a mother and a father that shape and mold our view of what the word "Father" may conjure up. Both par...

By now we are two weeks into the New Year, and I don't know if you're like me but I've already broken my New Years resolution. I was going to go a month without bread because it is my sweet. I wanted to be a good example to my husband who struggles to give up his sweets and let him see self-discipline in action. Ha! By about five days into the year, I was chowing down on a nice fresh piece of sour dough bread smothered with homemade raspberry jam, and he was well into a box of chocolates. We laughed at each other as we settled back into our easy chairs for our favourite TV show. How willing the mind is making these plans on New Year's Eve aft...

 By now the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season has enveloped your world unless you are a scrooge or the Grinch. Ha Ha And yet I write … With the hope … You will be blessed by putting the most amazing blessing first—Jesus Christ. Over the past three weeks of advent we have allowed the Prophet's Candle of HOPE, the Bethlehem Candle of FAITH, and the Shepherd's candle of JOY to spark our Christmas season into flame. This last week of advent we will light the Angel's Candle of LOVE and on Christmas day you will light the final candle in the middle of your wreath representing JESUS CHRIST. My prayer for you is that the flicker of flame...

The last two weeks I have been encouraging the lighting of the advent wreath, why? The reason is easy, and intentional—I want to celebrate Christmas not just on the 25th but the whole month through. I invite you to join me on this Advent journey. December 1st we lit the "Prophet's Candle," symbolizing hope. It reminded the old testament patriarchs to keep the hope of a coming King… a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. It reminded the New Testament believers to have hope beyond the death of their Savior who died for the sins of the world. They began the great commission and proclaimed the good news that Je...

We are going to light candle number two this week and celebrate the glorious meaning of Christmas. This candle is called the "Bethlehem Candle," and it symbolizes faith. Seven hundred years before Christ was born the prophet Isaiah proclaimed these words. Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." This time of year, I reflect upon what it must have felt like for the scared young woman—Mary to be pregnant out of wedlock, and for a man of integrity—Joseph (no more than a boy himself) who married her despite the unusual circumstances. All...

This year I want to concentrate on celebrating Christmas more intentionally. I do not want the harried pace of Christmas' past, nor to be so wrapped up (no pun intended) in the traditions of decorating, shopping, ribbons and bows that I feel exhausted come Christmas Eve. And so, I invite you along on a Christmas journey with me. Let's light the four advent candles not only on our table centrepiece but in our hearts, and take the time daily, to be present with the Lord. If you do have an advent wreath then lets light the first candle, "The Prophet's Candle" together. If you don't have a wreath, curl up into a chair and in the Spirit join ...