My theme this week is Internal Change.  You are probably familiar with the saying "don't sweat the small stuff."  Overall, that's pretty good advice.  Sometimes, however, the small stuff is not so small, and we really must address (or "sweat") it, in order to get rid of it and make room for the blessings. One […]

Happy New Year!  As we enter 2009, I've been reflecting a lot on the theme of "change."  If we change our way of thinking, we can change our way of seeing.  And when we change our perspective on things, Grace follows. I know that for many of us, January is a pivotal month.  Whether we […]

Kwanzaa is a unique African-American festival that focuses on the traditional African values of family, community responsibility, commerce and self-improvement.  The name Kwanzaa comes from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, which means "first fruits."  The festival, celebrated from December 26 to January 1, is based on the Nguzo Saba (seven guiding principles), and each […]

Christmas is celebrated in remembrance of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.  The date of the celebration is generally not thought to be Jesus' actual date of birth, and may have been chosen to coincide with ancient Roman solar festivals that were held on December 25.  Like the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah (Festival of Lights), […]

This year at sundown on December 21, the eight-day observance of Hanukkah begins.  The spirit of Hanukkah is the remembrance of a great miracle.  Nearly 200 years before the birth of Christ, a Hebrew tribe known as the Maccabees wanted to rededicate the temple after driving out the Greeks in a three-year struggle.  However, the […]