by Don Freeman | Dec 27, 2022 | Devotional
Having consulted with those in the know (the newspaper comic strips), Christmas is relegated to a single day, if not just a couple hours in the early morning of the 25th of December. Comments like: ‘Christmas 2022 is done.’ ‘Glad Christmas is over.’ ‘Christmas was...
by Don Freeman | Dec 24, 2022 | Devotional
Christmas Eve This special ‘eve’ning is filled with expectation – and stereotypically, frantic, last-minute preparations. The longstanding joke is that parents would be up all night, assembling gifts. Or the chef in the house would be checking and double checking that...
by Don Freeman | Dec 22, 2022 | Devotional
We’re almost there! Almost at the end of this Season of Advent culminating in a worldwide celebration of Jesus’ arrival. Through these weeks, we’ve focused not only on the gifts but on the hard facts of this complex love story whose details scandalously defied just...
by Don Freeman | Dec 20, 2022 | Devotional
A little child’s world is one of mystery. This mysterious world is also his/her normal. Discoveries are made every day: hitting your head when you fall out of bed produces pain; touching the flame of a candle, too; lemons look better than they taste; toilet paper can...
by Don Freeman | Dec 17, 2022 | Devotional
God then confronted Job directly: “Now what do you have to say for yourself? Are you going to haul me, the Mighty One, into court and press charges?” Job answered: “I’m speechless, in awe – words fail me. I should never have opened my mouth! I’ve talked too much,...
by Don Freeman | Dec 15, 2022 | Devotional
You’d think it wouldn’t be so. You’d think we’d have found a way to fix it by now. You’d think modern technology would have created a platform or an app or an interface, or whatever geeks call it. You’d think today’s science, all these years after successfully getting...
by Don Freeman | Dec 13, 2022 | Devotional
Many women of my mother’s generation (she would have turned 98 this month) were avid quilters, wresting out opportunities in the midst of never-done housework, to get together and work on quilt tops, and, of course, enjoy the camaraderie of an afternoon (I was never...
by Don Freeman | Dec 10, 2022 | Devotional
It is seen on the face of the competitor after scoring the winning goal in a championship game. It is expressed by an extrovert upon arriving at their surprise birthday party. It is shown in the unbidden tears on the cheeks of a bridegroom looking back and seeing his...
by Don Freeman | Dec 8, 2022 | Devotional
I’m fascinated by those who are skilled at fine crafts. I recently heard of a man who lives alone up in the hills of Virginia, off-the-grid, and barefoot most of the time, who is an artisan who handcrafts top-quality, hammered dulcimers. Not long ago, in a shop, I saw...
by Don Freeman | Dec 6, 2022 | Devotional
Mrs. Mullin’s assignment for my practicing piano progressed from 20 minutes a day to 30, then 45, then 60 over the 5 years I went to her for lessons. After several years away from lessons, and now a piano major in college, Dr. Mead’s practice assignment was 3 hours a...
