“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). We tend to think of it as a children’s song – and if you or your kids grew up in church, you are probably very familiar with it: “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.” I’d like to encourage you to embrace this as your resolution for 2025 and beyond. May we be so filled with the light of Christ that He shines in our eyes, warms […]

“On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree” is the first stanza of the popular 1780 English carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” a well-known seasonal melody. From the perspective of holiday commercialism, one can say that its lyrics move counterclockwise. The “Season” here commences yearly on “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving, by opening the floodgates to interminable shopping that continues unabated until late December 24th. Yet this catchy tune bucks the trend, for all the presents handed out in this song, from turtle doves and French hens to […]