Parkside Mission

It's December 13th, and this is it for me.  It's the pinnacle -- the peak of Christmas craziness. Even as I have grown to approach this season more thoughtfully over the past few years, it is still busier for me than any other time of year.  I have ornaments to hang, presents wrap, cards to mail, parties to attend, teacher gifts to purchase....the list goes on.  Those are all good things, to be sure, but it's still an awfully long list. And from what I can tell, it's the norm.  Everyone I talk to, including my wisest and most prudent friends, operates at warp yuletide speed in December.  Where do we find peace and joy amid the chaos of too much well-intentioned celebration? As someone who craves quiet and peace during every season, I'm often tempted to just skip Christmas and hibernate until  January 2nd.   Since that's not practical, I have found comfort in a surprising place:  the account of Elijah's battle with the Israelites and King Aha...

This Christmas "I myself will" ___________.  1. This Christmas I myself  wil l not put on 5 pounds . 2. This Christmas I myself  will  not buy my wife a small kitchen appliance . 3. This Christmas I myself  will  love my neighbors well. What would you write in the blank space?  Would you write something like my examples:  1. Which is doable but not likely to change the world or spread love to others. Or,  2. Which also doable, but is the least a decent person in your situation should do. Or,   3. Which is wonderful, but honestly, we won’t do it nearly as well as we should.  Then I remember how Christmas came to be in the first place. An ancient scripture prophecy of the coming Messiah, Ezekiel 17:22, " ‘This is what the Sovereign  Lord  says: I myself will take a shoot  from the very top of a cedar and plant it; I will break off a tender sprig from its topmost shoots and plant it on a h...