Advent Blog

The Church of St Nicholas was the very first church built by the Dutch within the old fort at the tip of New Netherland.  From that church the Collegiate Church tradition was born.  The Church of St Nicholas also has the great fame of inspiring two prominent writers over the next few years, Washington Irving…

Says a country legend told every year: Go to the barn on Christmas Eve and see what the creatures do as that long night tips over. Down on their knees they will go, the fire of an old memory whistling through their minds! So I went. Wrapped to my eyes against the cold I creaked…

“Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day walk on water?” I’m not a mother. I may never know what it feels like for a devoted mom to love so faithfully, joyfully and unconditionally. It is hard to imagine what young Mary faced, in her time and place, knowing she’d bear the…

The twinkling lights, the packages and the joyful melodies can, at times, for some be hard to embrace.They remind us of lost loved ones, failed hopes, sadness and depression. For some Christmas is blue, that’s why it’s so important to show joy, bring light and offer words of hope. I have included a candle lighting…

The Winter Solstice is this week and I wanted to share a song by the wonderful Mary Chapin Carpenter. “Come Darkness, Come Light” Come Darkness, come light Come new star, shining bright Come love to this world tonight Alleluia Come broken, come whole Come wounded in your soul Come anyway that you know Alleluia Come…

God let me find some lonely ones Among the crowd today, And let me say a word to take their loneliness away. So many walk with breaking hearts Along Life’s rough highway. So many walk with breaking hearts And no one understands; They find the trail all bramble–closed across the barren lands; God help me…

Serenity We sometimes need a moment, a quiet, gentle hush, to seek the Christmas spirit amid the season’s rush. And in that sanctuary, reflecting silently, we feel His loving presence– and find serenity. How you Listen It’s all in how you listen: We may rarely rejoice At the cold winter wind, Yet there’s joy in…

It was a time like this, War & tumult of war, a horror in the air. Hungry yawned the abyss- and yet there came the star and the child most wonderfully there. It was time like this of fear & lust for power, license & greed and blight- and yet the Prince of bliss came…

My Christmas List is more than just a way to keep track of The special people God has brought into my life to love. It’s like a treasured scrapbook filled with pleasant memories Of all the times God’s answered prayer through friends and family. Every name’s a touchstone that leads to a place and time,…

Most of the world takes a timeout each day for tea, but most Americans do not take a moment to sip in the afternoon.  Maybe we should. I grew up in the 1970’s.  The decade of polyester, plaid, bell bottoms, and a time where processed food or “Frankenfood” like Velveeta became part of our diets.  Most…