heaven

The Shepherds, The Wise Men, and The Rest of Us

Karen Brown1 Comment
Photo by Jeff Brown

Throughout Advent, I’ve been pondering Immanuel, or “God with us” and about how True Love came to stay. In my previous post, I shared how I’m discovering that living with God is about receiving His love one day at a time. Actually, I knew that before, but apparently life requires relearning.

I spent four weeks prayerfully arranging our nativity set as an Advent-long devotion. I read and considered what each Christmas character says about Immanuel. It wasn’t a perfect study, but I was readier for Christmas than I’ve been in a long time.

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A Heavenly Fixer Upper

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Like many of you, I’m slightly addicted to the TV show, Fixer Upper. In each episode, Chip and Joanna Gaines help lucky clients choose a home to purchase, usually one that needs major TLC, and use their great renovating/design gifts to make it into a spectacular home.

What makes each Fixer Upper special is the way the Gaineses develop a relationship with each client and tailor the renovations to fit their personalities and passions. For example, one young couple wanted to work more from home, so Joanna included the design of a cool office space for them. Another family loved the outdoors, so Chip suggested they add bigger windows and an extra door to the back yard of that house. With every project, they seem to be genuinely invested in their clients and work hard to build a home that they’ll love. It’s sweet and impressive to watch.

During commercials, I take a minute to look around my home.  Continue reading →

When Jesus Meets the Addict

Karen Brown26 Comments

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We whisper about it in church hallways. We turn our head away from it at the parks and we hide it in our homes. We warn our kids about it and hate it in ourselves.

Addiction.

It’s nothing new. From tobacco to technology. From crack to caffeine. From over-working to binge-watching. From generation to generation, we’ve traded one addiction for another.

It’s an effect of the fall, we say. We shake our fists at the devil and hang our heads. Come, Lord Jesus, we say, and dream of the day when we can be free. Continue reading →

Why Does The Resurrection Matter?

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Jonathan Dockery*, a young, hip artist, in his last semester at seminary, created this video for Easter. I have no words. It’s beautiful.

I pray it brings you the hope of the Restoration.

*Jonathan works as a graphic designer at Central Presbyterian Church and attends Covenant Theological Seminary.

Heaven Off Highway E

Karen Brown21 Comments

Recently, my sister sent me a link to a real-estate listing. Because neither one of us is house hunting, I was curious. I clicked on it and saw a picture of a small white house with black shutters sitting between a field and a pond. Immediately, I recognized it as the ranch that my paternal grandparents lived in when we were growing up.

My grandparents have been gone for many years. I hadn’t seen it since I was a teenager when my Granny was in the kitchen and my Pa was sick in bed.

Each photo in the gallery brought with it memories I didn’t even know I still had: picking apart cattails by the pond, the smell of fish food in a container by the dock, the sound of our station-wagon tires turning onto the gravel driveway from Highway E…

By the time I clicked to the last photo, tears were rolling down my cheeks and I couldn’t speak. I wasn’t exactly sad, but I wasn’t happy either. Sometimes tears are mysterious.  Continue reading →