Storyteller. Mom. Dog's Best Friend.
The Mount of Olives was once home to a thriving community of Palestinian Christians. Today, only one family remains. Persecution has driven all others away. This man, pictured with me … Continue reading The Call of the Conflict Church
Church pews. I miss church pews. I didn’t even recognize their absence in my life until a couple of Sundays ago when I visited an older house of worship where … Continue reading Church Pews
This, as every post in this series, was written ahead of time and scheduled to be posted on the appropriate day. I wrote this particular piece by the light of … Continue reading Day 23-“Her Children Are No More”: The Slaughter of the Innocents
“Get up.” Moments earlier, there was the blackness of midnight, the stillness of village slumber. Then, sleep was riven by light and alarm. Joseph was no ordinary man. He was … Continue reading Day 22- Two Dreams and a Midnight Flight
Herod held his paranoid, murderous impulses together long enough to craft a subtle plan. He would deceive the wise men from the east into finding the child and then revealing … Continue reading Day 21- A Royal Welcome and Three Special Gifts
Balaam was having a rough month complete with an angel of God, a talking donkey, and problems in his job. He had been hired by the King of Moab to … Continue reading Day 19- “A Star In The East”
Crowds filled the streets as the young couple made their way toward the base of the temple complex. The woman had given birth forty days before and the time for her ritual purification … Continue reading Day 17- Baby’s First Trip to the Temple
Much has changed in Palestine since the first century, but some things remain beautifully the same. In the hills surrounding the fields of Bethlehem, shepherding is practiced in much the … Continue reading Day 15- Special Sheep?
This Christmas season, countless pageants will unfold under soft light and in sacred sanctuaries telling the story of Messiah’s birth and shepherds will play an important part in each production. … Continue reading Day 14- Shepherds, A Despised Vocation
Whenever the Christmas story was read to me as a child I had an image in my mind of Joseph and a very pregnant Mary making their way down a crowded … Continue reading Day 13- No Room In the Kataluma
KC and Sherron Bridges of Quinlan,Texas keep a 6′ tall, 2,100 lb, horned Bison named “Wildthing” in their home. Most people find that daunting and perhaps a bit frightening, but it … Continue reading Day 12- A Manger Not So Far Away: 1st Century Home Construction in Palestine
Around campfires and dinner tables, in market stalls and alley ways, a movement was forming. It was the year AD 6 in Palestine and the high priest Jozer ben Boethus had been … Continue reading Day 10- For God Alone: What Was The Big Deal About The Census?