Message in the Mess

It was a cave-like barn. They were isolated --alone with no help. They were outcasts deplorable men. There were only 3 magi and they arrived right after the shepherds. We are in a constant struggle of trying to wrap our modern minds around a middle eastern Jewish birth that happened 2000 years ago. We live in a society where we are encouraged to focus on our emotional  selves and apply that frame to everyone in everything we read or hear. We think about Mary and how she must have felt. We think about Joseph and how he felt. We think about the lonely couple making a long journey only to be rejected by everyone. Why don't we think about Mary and Joseph as a couple-whose marriage was probably arranged? Why don't we talk about what even a quiet divorce would mean for Mary's family? Have you ever wondered if Mary was sent to stay with Elizabeth so that the two expecting mothers could help each other? We need only to look back into Exodus to note some important thi...

I have a task that I have been struggling with for a couple of weeks.  I have some empty picture frames I want to fill with current photos. I have one frame in particular that has become a bit of a thorn for me. Every time I see it sitting there void of a photo something pricks my heart.  Some days it bleeds a little other days it bleeds a lot.  There is a tiny bit of joy on the days it bleeds a lot. It sounds strange, but when the sadness pours out -- I know that my heart is still soft, still flesh.  The days it barely bleeds fear takes root. I fear my heart is becoming callused and hardening, slowly transforming into a heart of stone. So what is this frame that hurts my heart time after time. It is a friendship frame. The words etched in the frame read "Friends are a lifetime of shared experiences and memories laughter caring sharing secrets honesty listening fights talking advice dreams a true friend is a gift to cherish Friends are forever". If I am being h...