
The Babe in the Manger
Christmas music plays as I sit to begin my daily devotions. A small fiber optic tree only needs a flick of a switch to glow. Stockings hang on our living room wall. One has the name of our Boston Terrier, Molly, on it. A few packages sit near the tree. I have yet to wrap my gifts for my spouse. His for me are hidden somewhere, probably on our messy screen porch. Opposing emotions battle within as I read Bible verses. Sadness bumps against joy. Excitement and anticipation push

Aleppo: A Tragedy
And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7) And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58) I think the longing for a home is universal but not identical for all. I watch the refugees streaming out of Aleppo, their homes bombed, their city shattered. I am not prepared for th