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The woman went into labor along the road. There were complications.

“Don’t worry,” her midwife said quietly. “You are having a son.” But the midwife knew the end was close.

In the woman’s pain, and as she lay dying, she named the boy, Ben-Oni, a name some scholars translate to mean, “This Son is my Progeny.” Her husband changed the boy’s name to Benjamin, or “This Son is Strength.”

The woman’s name was Rachel. She died quietly along the road. Having seen the face of her second son, she left the world in peace. Her husband put up a stone pillar to mark the location.

The town to which they had been traveling before she died: Bethlehem. Continue reading “The Town That’s Hard to Understand”

When we first moved to England, we lived in a small cottage on a 100-acre estate. The sheep pasture came right up behind our house. In the spring time the sound of new lambs bleating for milk mingled with the smell of spring and the rising of yellow daffodils.

Our landlady was a wonderful woman in her 50s. She played tennis, was involved in the community, and ran the estate efficiently. She was in shape and always dressed well.

But everything changed when she worked with the sheep – in fact, the first time we saw her she was hoisting a dead sheep into the back of her Mercedes SUV. Mud and sheep shit covered her thigh-high Wellingtons.

Dealing with sheep is a dirty business. Continue reading “The Two Important Words I Skimmed Over”

Three or four ornaments have fallen under the tree, byproducts of Sam’s curiosity. From where I’m sitting, I now realize the missing sippy cups are under the coffee table. Coats hang from the backs of most of the dining room chairs.

Cade is asleep on the sofa, wrapped in his blanket like a mummy. Some of the books fell off the shelf tonight, a scattered pile of pages. I need to unload the dishwasher. Oh well, that can wait until tomorrow morning.
Continue reading “The Incarnation in the Midst of Chaos”

The online world connects us like never before. One thing I’ve discovered is this: there are a lot of talented writers, artists, and musicians in the world. Here are four projects you should consider following or getting involved in:
Continue reading “Help These Four Awesome Ideas Become Reality”