When I was a kid, Chanukah meant eight nights of presents, wrapped in shiny blue and silver paper. It meant treats of Chanukah gelt, foil-wrapped waxy coins of chocolate, and playing the dreidel game while each night’s candles burned. The game featured a four-sided top with Hebrew letters on each side that were meant to…

If Oprah can create a list of “favorite things”, I decided that I could, too. However, my list is quite a bit less fancy-schmancy than O’s. It’s meant to be fun, and perhaps spark some reflection about what comforts, blessings and experiences have been favorites for you in 2011. So (sing it with me) –…

‘Tis a gift to be simple, ’tis a gift to be free / ‘Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be / And when we find ourselves in the place just right / ‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight. Click and enjoy the haunting voice of Allison Kraus on…

I want to celebrate the incredible gift of music that African Americans gave to the church and to the whole world. It is amazing that these people, many of them enslaved by Christian people, saw beyond their owners hypocrisy and embraced the real Jesus. I believe that these miracle songs are an example of how…

My big, beefy imagination is usually overkill for most of the tasks requiring creativity in my life. But that inner world becomes a whimpering Barney Fife when it comes to one really important area. I can not comprehend how God can transform the church from a weary, jaded and frequently unfaithful renegade with a kaleidoscope…

Life lesson learned: If you are a Birkenstock girl, you should not slide on a pair of high heels right before you stand up in your friend’s wedding. You need to practice walking in them for days – weeks, even – before the big event. I learned this lesson the hard way. Literally. I slipped…