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Twas the Night Before Christmas
I wrote this poem one year when we donated gifts to a local charity instead of giving presents to our friends and their children. Adapted from the classic "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement Clarke Moore, feel free to use it if you adopt the idea yourself! ‘Twas the night before Christmas, when...
Christmas Reading
The Christmas Story Here I've combined the Christmas story as told in the gospels of Matthew 1:1-2:23, Luke 1:1-2:52, and John 1:1-18 in one continuous reading. I pray you enjoy this reading of the Christmas story straight from the Bible! These Scriptures are from the New International Version...
Neighborhood Cafe Podcast Christmas Episode
I was podcasting before podcasting was cool! Actually, I had a weekly radio program on a local Christian station! Jesus. Since this was published, even more people are lonely and we're more desperate for a friend. I hope you enjoy this oldie but goodie about the real joy of Christmas found only...
How To Be Thankful With Your Neighbors
I got greedy at Thanksgiving. Not just for juicy slices of turkey and heaping piles of mashed potatoes, or my special cranberry salad - no, I'm ashamed to admit, I got greedy for my family. I wanted them all to myself, so I was a little disappointed when another family was invited to our...
Proximity isn’t Presence
My husband says it... Sitting on the same sofa isn't the same as spending time with your spouse. When his person is buried in their phone (that would be me), my husband feels ignored and unimportant. It's his biggest pet peeve when people are lost in the virtual world instead of living real life....
The Synagogue on Your Street
I once invited 130 neighbors over for coffee. Yikes! You can bet I whispered prayers as I pushed the mop and dusted the furniture getting ready for my Neighborhood Cafe Open House.That's a lot of people, but in my experience very few of my neighbors will actually come--especially since I was only...