They [at Alcoholics Anonymous] live alongside and cheer him on as those who have also tasted that bitter hell but are being saved. What a gift is found in the true understanding offered by others who have personally faced what we’re facing. And I can’t stop thinking about how this is also true of the Church.

Be Merry. That's what our Christmas card says this year. I struggled with the phrase initially. I worried that it wouldn't read as a well-wish so much as a curt demand for cheer.

Advent means "coming" or "the arrival of something long-awaited." Throughout the Old Testament, God prepared his people for the advent of their Savior. His people waited. Creation waited. What was broken in the garden, all of heaven and earth longed to see reconciled.

It's that time of year. When your Facebook newsfeed is filled with pictures of fireplace mantles and Christmas trees. And some of you have serious skills. I mean, you've obviously been watching your HGTV and can tinsel up with the best of them. But, we have young kids at our house, so I thought I'd bless you with some tips for how you, too, can achieve the look of my stunning Christmas tree.

Open the beautiful, sacred text of the Bible, translated here from the original Hebrew, and within four English words, we read of God's holiness: “In the beginning, God…” In the very first verses of the Bible, God teaches us of His holiness and nearness. We are newborn creation gazing into the hovering face of our Maker as He whispers to us Who He is and how He loves us.

I am a planner. For me, preparing for my baby meant spending hours reading car seat and stroller reviews online and creating a 7-page document for my family with maps to the hospital and nearby dining options. So, naturally, creating a birth plan was right up my alley. Now with childbirth under my belt, this Christmas I find myself marveling at Mary's birth experience. What if she had hoped for everything to happen just as it did? Her birth plan might have looked something like this…

This year as we celebrate Christ's birth, my husband and I are expecting our first child and I find that I can connect to some of the emotions Mary may have felt in a much more...tangible way. I believe Mary must have felt the same excitement, trepidation, love, apprehension, and joy that I feel now. But for all the ways I can relate to Mary, I can only imagine what it must be like to carry the Savior of mankind in your womb.

The Israelites called it "manna," which means "What is it?" Every morning, they collected just enough manna for that day. During the entire journey through the desert to the Promised Land, God provided for His children.

I recently had the absolute privilege of partaking in Seder dinner at the home of a sweet Jewish couple we know. Seder dinner marks the beginning of Passover and for us that night, it was a chance to see God's Word come to life!

Last week, I sang in a funeral service and heard family members celebrate a life well-lived. The next day, I attended a baby shower and watched as friends and family celebrated a new life beginning. Life and death, the circle of life...these are the thoughts that have occupied my mind lately.

Despite mankind's cultural differences or religious preferences, it seems this time of year most everyone can agree to promote the special message of "peace on earth,” of Christmastime as a reminder to be considerate of the neighbor, to take care of the needy, to find common ground. And that, indeed, is a SPECIAL message! However, when the company of angels who first spoke this message uttered those words of peace, I believe they had something far grander in mind - something more akin to a Hero saving His Bride.

We are all creative. And I don't mean the "artsy" or "out-of-the-box thinking" type of creative. I mean we all possess the ability to create. Whether it's in business, science, philosophy, law, politics, writing, mathematics, the arts...we have creative outputs. These outputs reflect what we believe and, collectively, influence society.