11 RED

“Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.” 1 Timothy 4 : 14 NIV One night in December, I was hanging some ornaments that were still in a small box by one of our Christmas trees. This tree is particularly tricky and probably has only remained the one that I setup in my home office because of pure nostalgia. Its simplicity accents the woodsy, outdoorsy ornaments I usually like to put there, and its cheap sparseness allows for big portions of larger red ornaments to show through. In short, it’s the tree I set up to reflect both a bit of my history and some of my dreams. But it’s literally on its last leg, balanced by a mispurposed D-clamp just weighting along the base and -interestingly - most of the heavy ornaments we own, placed carefully on the side I can’t even see. We have a great bay window in that space and being that I’m able to look at the tree, the lights and the outdoors from my desk, I find it very i

"Though the winter is long, even richer a harvest it brings..." Will never be able to publish this post in anything official of course, because they are not my words. However, I enjoyed making some art with it and wanted to share with you - as this song has impacted my life over and over, in many seasons. Lyrics - Benjamin William Hastings Photo and type layout - me (Shot in February '23 snowshoeing in Rocky Mountain National Park) Feel free to save, share or print this graphic, should be pretty decent resolution. (Best to click or tap first to bring up full resolution, then right click or press and hold to save.) Can't say it any better than he can. Absolutely LOVE the creativity and flow of these lyrics, when I listen to this I experience the truth of the incarnation and Jesus' consistent, remaining presence, in an unexplainable way! Check out the song for yourself and get drawn into the depth of peace THIS season was meant for... Apple Music https://music.apple

“And God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness... God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.” (Genesis 1:4, 1:31 NIV) “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work…” (Philippians 1:6 NLT) It’s the first day of December and my daughter and I are coming back from an errand. There’s a few ways to get everywhere around this slower-paced edge of our city, and I’m often given to just take the path of least resistance, basing my turns on the green lights I get. As we make our way through one green-lit turning lane in particular, we’re treated with a view to the right of a beautiful Christmas tree lot, one that has been there every season since we first made the move from Tennessee to Greensboro. There’s always been something comforting about it to me, the way it is laid out, warm and inviting, large, trees arranged evenly and the extra details like higher quality buckets, ground cloths and (wait...WHO AM I T

  Every minute, every hour, every day... to be real. Jesus' arrival was permanent, not a holiday visit. "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." - John 1:14 NIV (This one begins with the end in mind, written January 2023.) It's Epiphany, January 6, and as such technically the first day of the next season of the Christian calendar, "common time" it's often referred as. From Christmas Day until last night, the 5th, there were 12 days that in many previous generations marked a short season of rest, family nearness, generosity and reflection.  Our culture has over some generations now adjusted to a different rhythm that treats the month (or 6-8 weeks, or the days since school started for the fall) as the "season" in which we spread the cheer, prepare, buy, host, party, etc etc etc to the point that Christmas Day is an arrival point and many are ready for a break or a return to some kind of routine before December ends (or possibly th