The Paradox of Advent
Cases are spiking quickly and deaths are mounting in our host country. There are rumors of another lockdown, and I keep wondering how the virus will affect our holidays....
Category: Holidays
Shadow and Light: An Interview with Tsh Oxenreider
We are so excited to welcome author Tsh Oxenreider to share more about her new Advent guide, Shadow and Light! Get to know Tsh and her heart for the...
How To Actually Practice Advent {Plus an Invitation!}
So I’m a bit of an Advent junkie. Name an Advent book, tool or experience that’s come out in the last ten years and I probably have it. In...
May You Receive the Gift of Jesus {The Grove: The Gift}
John 1:16-18 From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses, but God’s unfailing love and faithfulness came through...
Merry Christmas, Velvet Ashes
Luke 1:78-79 Because of God's tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in...
Embracing Christmas with Your Team {The Grove: Team Traditions}
Growing up, my large family Christmases were bursting at the seams with people, food, noise and fun. I don’t feel like I’m celebrating without at least twenty people simultaneously...
Forging Team Traditions
Some of my favorite traditions while living overseas started in the darkness, a desperate clinging to hope when things were hard. They were started because I needed a way...
Holiday Camaraderie + My Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
For the 7 Christmases we have spent on the field, we’ve always been part of a team. Usually small enough for everyone to fit into one home, but big...
Seasonal Disorientation {The Grove: Regional Traditions}
In the northeastern United States where I grew up, the holidays of the church moved with the rhythm of the seasons. In November, the days grew shorter as our...
Diving Hard Into Mooncakes
“You’re more Chinese than we are!” That’s not the reaction I was expecting when I told my Chinese friends that I’d made lotus paste mooncakes from scratch. They were...
