I wrote this last year but thought it was so pertinent to this year as I re-read it, so I readapted it slightly in order to share it again this Christmas season. Merry Christmas! May God’s joy fill your hearts. Last year, I found myself reflecting over how many details of Jesus’ birth were unexpected… Continue reading An Unexpected Christmas (Readapted)
Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com A few weeks ago, I was reminded of an anecdote about a father and son that I heard during a chapel service years ago. In the story, the father bought a blue, Schwinn bicycle for his son’s upcoming birthday, which he hid away in their barn. He then proceeded to… Continue reading The Greater Gift
Chewy butterscotch chip bars with a rich butterscotch candy layer and creamy eggnog cream cheese frosting If you’d like a delicious yet distinct dessert this Christmas season, I highly recommend these Double Decker Butterscotch Bars with Eggnog Cream Cheese Frosting. Made from an adaptation of a recipe a former roommate gave me years ago for… Continue reading Double Decker Butterscotch Bars with Eggnog Cream Cheese Frosting
Photo by Jonathan Petersson on Pexels.com Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Psalm 116:15 ESV There’s a certain type of video that makes me cry every time I watch it. I sit there, eyes glued to the screen, as tears stream down my cheeks to my chin, falling… Continue reading Homecoming
Whew! My family and I had quite the weekend! It started on Thursday when my family and I woke up before the crack of dawn to make the eight-hour trek to my older sister’s house so we could celebrate Thanksgiving with the family. After enjoying Thanksgiving dinner and quiet evening at her house, we got… Continue reading The Best of 2021
Over a month ago, I decided it would be good to try to help my three-year-old learn some Bible verses, so I made up a little song to help him memorize what is possibly the most popular Bible verse of all—John 3:16. The tune I composed is simple and repetitive, and I debated sharing it… Continue reading John 3:16 (A Song)
Photo by Poranimm Athithawatthee on Pexels.com Shortly after the neighborhood caterpillar infestation, we had a problem with ants in our house. It was stressful and bothersome, but I felt capable of handling the situation since I had a much worse ant infestation years back when I was single. I pulled out all the old tricks,… Continue reading Ants and Other Problems
We had an infestation of caterpillars in our neighborhood a little over a month ago, and although I was somewhat disgusted by it, I also found joy in watching my toddler son enjoy them so much. “Pet, pet, pet. I pet a cata-pil-wer,” he would tell me after bending down to stroke each one with… Continue reading To Such Belongs the Kingdom
I keep thinking about the palm tree in our front yard—the one we tried to uproot earlier this year. With only a couple of green, half-inch patches peeking out of its branches, I took it for dead. A few weeks later, with JJ’s approval and only a hand shovel at my disposal, I began to… Continue reading Palm Tree Ponderings
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Pexels.com I’ve been weeping a lot as of late—for tragic events that have happened recently and for the ones that happened twenty years ago during the 9/11 attacks. One story that has especially left me bawling this weekend has been a transcript circulating social media between Todd Beamer of flight… Continue reading May Love Be Our Response
Colleen James Publishing 