Christmas exists to remember and celebrate the first coming of Christ to a world in need of a savior. As a colleague at work said this week, he'd prefer to call it Incarnation Day instead of Christmas, but he's right in suspecting that won't catch on. While most biblical scholars agree that Jesus wasn't born …
Happy 61st Anniversary to My Parents
I have been blessed in more ways than I can count in my life, but at the top of the list is the love and example shown by my amazing parents, Jack and Virginia Ross. Today they celebrate their 61st wedding anniversary - quite an accomplishment these days. They never cease to amaze me, from …
Memory Bank
While visiting my parents for Christmas last weekend, my mom told me that she had found an old bank I used as a child and teenager. She said that she tried opening it, but couldn't get past the combination lock. I immediately told her what the combination was, even though I haven't seen or used …
How Other-Centered Are You?
It is the most natural thing in the world to be self-centered - from the time we enter the world completely dependent on others (yet focused only on our needs), to the time we draw our final breath (most likely still clinging to what we want). It's natural. But not everything natural is good. As …
Skipping Christmas
Have you read John Grisham's novel Skipping Christmas or watched the film adaptation Christmas with the Kranks? It's about a couple who decides to forego the usual traditions of Christmas gifts, decorations and parties in favor of taking a vacation during the holidays. It doesn't take long for them to experience opposition to the idea from others, …
