Holidays

The Worst Christmas Ever, Part 2
The Christmas I Couldn’t Sing My family doesn’t have a history of cancer, so the news that I might have lymphoma had a sense of unreality to me...   I didn’t have any symptoms to speak of. Losing weight? Well, yes, I had lost weight, but I had been dieting for several months and was…
The Worst Christmas Ever
It's been over ten years since the worst Christmas ever. It all started on a plane ride home with Hal. We had been to a business event and he coughed uncontrollably the whole trip. "I think I have pneumonia,” he said. “I'm calling Dr. Watson tomorrow." What? Hal never goes to the doctor if he can…
Planning A Christ-Centered Thanksgiving
  Thanksgiving is one of our favorite holidays! It's one of the least commercialized and mangled holidays of our culture. Even the name points people toward the God who gives good gifts. It's fascinating talking about Thanksgiving with our children. The Pilgrims were really people a lot like us: they were principled Christians who were…
Celebrate Presidents Day
With Men of Great Character–Free!
Here's a neat resource you can download for free and share with your sons in honor of Presidents Day -- examples from the lives of great men who have led our country! Several years before he became our 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt and his friend Henry Cabot Lodge wrote a collection of stories to teach…
Learning the Carols: Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Verse 2
Usually, teaching the first stanza of familiar hymns means correcting misunderstandings about the language (like angels singing, "Hark!"). The second stanza is where you usually find the first totally new lyrics. It's where you often find new insights, too, since the words are are fresh and we haven't grown complacent from hearing them a hundred…
Learning the Carols: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="403"] Schnorr von Carolsfeld, From the Bibel in Bildern, 1860[/caption] This is one of those hymns that we think we all know, but usually only sing the first verse. This is like nibbling on the salad and walking out on the feast. Charles Wesley packed so much Biblical truth into this carol,…
Semper Reformanda
The U.S. Marine Corps has a slogan – Semper Fidelis, “Always Faithful.” More often, people shorten it to “Semper Fi.” In the church, there is a slightly different slogan: Semper Reformanda, which is short for Ecclesia semper reformanda est, “The Church Is Always To Be Reformed.” Why the lesson in military and ecclesiastical Latin? Because…
Happy Independence Day!
Won't you join us tomorrow in celebrating the glorious heritage of liberty in our country? Click here for our free guide to Independence Day Celebrations!
A New Tradition for New Year’s
When we think about New Year's, what comes to mind? Glitzy parties, fireworks, watching the ball drop, Auld Lang Syne, or perhaps if you love classical music, the Vienna Philharmonic playing The Redetsky March. Oh, and resolutions. I always liked the idea of starting new when I was younger, but I had an appallingly bad record…
Why Veterans Day?
Did you know today was Veterans Day? The day we set aside to remember and thank all those who've served our country in the Armed Forces. It's those soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines that keep our country safe. Have you ever wondered why we celebrate Veterans Day on November 11th? It's because on the 11th…

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