...a word from Kathy

The Savior can be seen in creation, and in splendor, and in humanness.   And today, the Savior can be seen in each of us. C hristmas day has always been greatly anticipated by children of all ages.   The anticipation plays out through the cooking that begins days before the celebration, and through Dads who make late night runs for batteries, or put together Barbie houses, through children having a hard time getting to sleep, and through other children waking up WAY to early!  And parents wondering, did we purchase the right gifts, who did we forget, or how will we pay all the bills.   Then when the day arrives and all is over, we’re left with empty boxes, tissue paper and ribbons and over-stuffed bellies.  Christmas has come and gone.  We’ll hear kids arguing, see some disappointed faces and some will be glad that ‘life will now get back to normal’.  It’s over. Whether we realize it or not, I believe we anticipate the Savior in the same way.  We ...

The Savior has come in creation, and in splendor, and now in humanness.  A gift like no other. T he labor pains began and the wee baby arrived.  A gift of humanness.  This special baby grew up with  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/504332858271847619 / sisters and brothers.  He lived life.  Then, he walked among people and taught lessons about life.  He taught humility, unconditional love and forgiveness, acceptance without judgment or shame.  He spoke of the Kingdom of God as a place of longing and the possibility of a place inside each of us. The Kingdom of God?  The heavenly place where Love resides.  Have you ever pondered what it cost the Son of God to leave the Kingdom, to leave the splendor and majesty of heaven and come into this world as a baby?   And, how was it possible to squeeze such glory into a human form?  And, what kind of Love empties themselves of such inexplicable power, glory, and majesty to save just one lost...

Photo by Vincent Guth on Unsplash D uring these weeks prior to Christmas,  we are exploring  ways that we may have already experienced the coming of the Savior, and how He can and will continue His arrival in us. I’ve been thinking recently about the different “looks” of God that we see throughout the Bible.  There have been many discussions over the years about the Old Testament God and the New Testament God.  Thoughts like, “give me the New Testament but I’ll leave the Old Testament to others.”  Or “I love the joy of Jesus in the New Testament, but I don’t like God in the Old.”  So I wonder, do we tend to look at God as a buffet table.  I’ll take a little of this and a little of that and leave off my plate those things that don’t taste good to me or annoy me or make me uncomfortable. As a kid, I continually tried to persuade my mom that I didn’t truly need any green vegetables and could survive on rolls and mashed potatoes and fried chicken.  S...

T he Advent season is here.  “Advent” is derived from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming.”   In other words, a savior is coming.    In my opinion, a savior has come, is coming, and will come again.  In the next four weeks, we will explore ways that we may have already experienced His coming and how He can and will continue His arrival in us. H e came in creation.  I spent a good deal of Thanksgiving week creating.  My creations went from pecan pie, to cornbread dressing, to flower arrangements and most importantly, creations of feathers and clay with my grandson.  It’s a lot of work to create place settings with turkeys made of clay and felt feathers!   Seriously, what does creation do?  Or why is creation important.  During my creative Thanksgiving, the recipients of the baked goods and other foods gained pleasure.  Creation gives people beauty to behold.  Creativity gives our minds a chance to expand and grow and p...