Yield

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Back in December,
I started asking God if He had a word for me to carry into the new year.
Nothing came.

I kept asking and tried to listen.
Nothing.

I started to get a little twitchy when January 1st came and went.
Still no word.

Me: Lord, what word do You have for me in 2026?
God: What word do you have for Me?
Me: (long pause) Huh? You are waiting for me to pick a word?
God: I yield the word-picking to you this year.
Me: Yield.
God: Good word.

Yield is a good word. It does double duty as a noun and a verb.
Yield, n. — quantity of harvest or income produced
Yield, v. — to give up or surrender; to give precedence to; to relinquish

Two years ago, I copied down this quote:

“Abiding is a humble, gentle persistency
in attending to Jesus and only to Him,
and a kind of unyielding yieldedness to Him alone.”
(Leighton Ford, The Attentive Life)

Those two words “unyielding yieldedness” stuck with me.
I’m going to spend the coming year figuring out what that means.
And how to do it.

Offer yourselves to God as those alive from the dead,
and your members as instruments of righteousness, yielded to God.
Romans 6:13


One More Thing

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Never in my blogging life of 16 years have I ever posted twice in one day.
Just had to sneak this one in before the clock strikes twelve.
I’ll leave you alone until next Thursday.
Promise.

Here are my twelve tribes in all their pajama glory.
#12 got lots of love from his cousins.

Three big boys.
Three big girls.
Three little girls.
Three little boys.
I couldn’t have come up with a more symmetrical arrangement.

We forced one more Nativity scene and I expect it will be our last.
What else were we to do with a 10-day-old in our midst?
He was the star of the show.
If you’re counting, we are short one sheep.
The 6-year-old refused to put on a silly costume and join the fun,
even though Opa bribed him with suckers.
I like his spunk.

God bless us, every one!

Until next year!

Top Ten Books of 2025

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“From Christmas night to New Year’s Eve,
We bless the space that’s in between.”
~Sandra McCracken

These “in-between” days are my favorite days of the whole year. There are enough leftovers to last a week, we don’t have to go anywhere, and a pile of new books is calling.

Here are my top ten books from 2025.

10. Run With the Horses, Eugene Peterson
I picked up this book while reading through the Old Testament book of Jeremiah. Peterson has a way of helping everything make sense. His words guided me to a better understanding of God’s Words. I also read his book Practice Resurrection along with Ephesians and the lights went on. Over and over. I wish he had written a companion volume to every book of the Bible.

9. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
I read Tom Sawyer out loud to PB and we listened to the audio of Huck Finn on a long road trip. Some of it made us cringe. Some of it made us laugh out loud. Twain has a way of saying things that catches you by surprise. Classics, but definitely not P.C.

8. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, Eric Metaxas
This was an in-depth look at Bonhoeffer’s life, from beginning to end. I listened to the audio version, which was almost 24 hours long. The German names were hard to keep track of—and the narrator pronounced Bonhoeffer as “Bon-hoof-er”—but there was no doubt about the man’s courage in the face of evil.

7. Confessions, St. Augustine
It’s hard to imagine what life was like between 354-430 A.D. Surprisingly, Augustine struggled in his lifetime with the same things we do in the 21st century. Thanks to 20 years of his mother’s prayers (he called himself “the son of my mother’s tears”) he became a follower of Christ and a leader in the early church. He had a lot to confess…

6. Lessons From the Apostle Paul’s Prayers, Charles H. Spurgeon
You might think reading a 19th century preacher’s sermons would be boring. Not if it’s C.H. Spurgeon. I have stars, arrows, and exclamations points in the margins. I have whole paragraphs underlined. I have returned to this book over and over since reading it in October and will keep it nearby so I can keep returning. I love Spurg.

5. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
This was a re-read for me. I rarely go back to a book and read it over again, but this was a delight—like a visit with old friends. Discussing it with my neighborhood book club made it even richer. Something about two old pastors sitting on the porch talking, well, it makes my heart ache a little bit. Robinson has a way of making the ache feel comforting.

4. Right Ho, Jeeves, P. G. Wodehouse
I’ve been hearing for years about Wodehouse and how funny his books are, but comedic novels aren’t really my jam. Last year, PB and I tried out a subscription to Audible, so I downloaded every free offering they had before my subscription ran out. (I’m a cheapskate.) Listening to Jeeves and Wooster was a rollickingly good time. I now have “The P. G. Wodehouse Collection” which is 16 more hours of fun for the coming year.

3. Rediscovering Christmas, A. J. Sherrill
It’s not easy to find a book on Christmas that feels fresh and makes me say, “Huh, I never thought of that.” Some chapters landed better than others for me, but I came away with some new insights and deeper appreciation for the Nativity story and the characters within it. It was a good way to enhance the season.

2. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Beth Brower
I can’t remember when I read a book that was more delightful! My daughter gave me Volume 1 in the series for my birthday. Then I bought Volume 2. Then I bought Volumes 3-8. Word has it that 25 volumes are being planned and I’m here for every one of them. The writing is so good—it draws you right into the world Bower has created. Reading for the fun of it! I’d almost forgotten what that’s like.

1. Paradise Lost, John Milton
On the opposite end of the reading spectrum from Emma M. Lion, is John Milton and Paradise Lost. This was the most impactful book I read this year. I thought I’d hate it. Written in blank verse, which means it doesn’t rhyme, every line has exactly ten syllables. And there are over 10,000 lines in this poem. I was sure it would take me all summer to slog through the renowned classic that had been dictated by a blind man in the 1600s. I gritted my teeth and was determined to get through this “masterpiece of English literature.” To my surprise, it took my breath away and I couldn’t put it down. Listening to a Hillsdale College lecture after each chapter helped a lot. But wow. It’s incredible.

”Books are the quietest and most constant of friends;
they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors,
and the most patient of teachers.”
~Charles W. Eliot

2026 Bible Reading Plan

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I’ve been creating my own Bible Reading Plan for twelve years now. It must be the teacher in me—I get a kick out of giving myself assignments. I also don’t like being told by someone else what to read. (Must be the rebel in me.) I’ve kept track over the years of all the books of the Bible I’ve read (must be the perfectionist in me) and there are some glaring holes indicating books I have been avoiding for twelve years.

If I fail to plan, I can plan to fail. And sometimes I fail even when I do plan. But having a plan in place helps me get back on track. Eventually.

This year is going to be challenging. You are welcome to join me, if you dare.

I’m starting off with the Gospel of Mark because I need to begin the year with my eyes on Jesus.

In February, I’ll take a slow stroll through Colossians, one chapter a week in small bite-size portions Monday-Friday.

Here’s where it gets tricky. 1 & 2 Chronicles have never been my favorites. Especially the first nine chapters which contain lists of unpronounceable names. I’m sure there is treasure in there somewhere, but it will be a test of my patience. Close on the heels of Chronicles will be Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. No dilly-dallying here — a quick run through the chapters.

In June and July I’ll slow down a bit and take my time reading the book of Hebrews.

August is usually the time of year when I falter, so I’m returning to my beloved Psalm 119. It will be like a visit with an old friend.

This fall, strap on your seatbelts if you’re still with me. Ezekiel is weird. And probably wonderful, but I wouldn’t know because this has been my #1 book to ignore. Not anymore! I’m diving in. After Ezekiel, I’ll stay on the weird and wonderful track by reading Revelation, then end 2026 with an Advent study to be determined.

Note: This is a “reading plan, ” not a “study plan.” The point is to stay engaged with God’s Word consistently. God gave us a book and He arranged every word in it. Those words are nutrition for our souls. As Moses said,

“These are not just idle words for you; they are your life.”
Deuteronomy 32:47

God bless the reading of the Word in 2026!

Christmas Eyes

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Something about Christmas brings out the kid in all of us.
PB’s natural fun-loving personality really shines during the holidays.
He brings home all kinds of goodies. Every day. They are piling up.

Bags of Farm & Fleet Tootsie Roll Pops are a staple around here. In December, though, the stash is considerably expanded. After all, there are Christmas programs and dance recitals and extra church services. The demand rises dramatically, so PB keeps his pockets jammed full of suckers to pass out when the kids’ start to wiggle.

One year, PB brought home a yodeling pickle ornament. It’s motion sensitive, which means when I get up at 5:30 a.m. and tiptoe out to the kitchen, a shrill voice coming from a dark corner scares the Charles Dickens out of me. So fun!

It’s not all candy and toys for PB. He also goes in for a good game to play with the grandkids. This one is sure to be a hit with the 6-year-old and 8-year-old grandsons. We need to give them more reasons to talk about butts.

Of all PB’s fun finds, these get my seal of approval.
They don’t cause cavities,
they don’t yodel,
and they have nothing to do with butts.

These flimsy “glasses” transform the Christmas tree lights into fun shapes. We have glasses that create snowmen, reindeer, trees, candy canes and gingerbread men. These magical specs cost $1.69 each, which is the best deal in town.

See what I mean?
The glasses help you see something that nobody else sees.
It’s magic.

I’m wondering if Simeon had a special pair of glasses.

In Luke 2, when Joseph and Mary brought their 8-day-old baby boy to the temple, Simeon saw something that nobody else saw. The elderly gentleman took baby Jesus in his arms and declared, “My eyes have seen your salvation.” (Luke 2:30)

Everyone else in the temple saw a baby.
Simeon saw salvation.
He must have had Holy-Spirit-glasses.
Oh, for eyes to see like Simeon.

It’s Not Christmas

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Even though all the stores and television ads are telling you otherwise,
Christmas doesn’t arrive until December 25th.
Shocking news, isn’t it?

The Christmas season is in full swing.
All the music, all the decorations, all the credit card purchases.
All of it.

But wait.

This is Advent – a time of preparing for Christmas. Just as Lent is the time leading up to Easter, Advent is supposed to be slower, quieter, and more introspective as we get ready for Christ to arrive. Instead, we jump into full-on celebration right from the start of December and by the time the 25th rolls around, we are exhausted and kind of glad it’s all over. We’re getting it all wrong.

“Advent is like the hush of the theater just before the curtain rises.”
Frederick Buechner

Four weeks are built into the Christian calendar to “help us cultivate waiting, hope, and longing. And longing isn’t short. Longing literally takes a looooong time or it’s not really a longing, is it?” (A. J. Sherrill, Rediscovering Christmas)

Oh, I know. Waiting isn’t easy. We are so used to immediate gratification—getting what we want when we want it. Advent waiting, though, allows God time to do deep work in us, if we sit still long enough. 

I’m trying to reign in the hustle and bustle during Advent. I’d like to save some mental, emotional and physical energy for the day the waiting is over and the true celebration begins—Christmas Day! I don’t want to be so stuffed with Christmas by the 25th that I sleep through the real show.

Hush! The curtain is about to rise!

Two Ways to Give Thanks

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My inbox greeted me with two messages on this Thanksgiving morning.

I signed up for the NYT emails so I can play Wordle.
I get SpurgeonBooks emails so I can pray the Word.

Feast your eyes on two ways to give thanks today.

“Everything will be OK. Try to enjoy the day. You can do it.”
vs.
“Always thankful to our merciful God”

Take your pick.

“Give thanks as you move through the day.
And hug your people tight.” (NYT)
vs.
“We all have some cause for thankfulness,
therefore will we praise the Lord from the rising of the sun
unto the going down of the same.” (Spurg)

It helps to know Who to thank.

Also, you didn’t think we would finish the year without a plan, did you?

The 2025 Bible Reading Plan was left wide open for December. But never fear, we will finish strong in 2025 with an Advent Reading Plan. Also, fear not—most days are only a few verses. Grab yourself a cup of coffee in the wee hours of dark December mornings, light a candle, and join me for a moment of stillness and study of His Word. The same Word that became Flesh.

Greatly Grateful

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“If you think little of what God has done for you,
you will do very little for Him;
but if you have a great notion
of His great mercy to you,
you will be greatly grateful to your gracious God.”
~Charles Spurgeon~

I am greatly grateful to you for reading a small drop of ink.
“I thank my God every time I remember you.”
Philippians 1:3

Gotta go make gravy now.

We Got Robbed

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Many years ago, PB and I drove to Winona, Minnesota for a Keith Green concert. We arrived early, so we left our car in the empty parking ramp and slipped into the auditorium to listen to the sound checks.

Keith Green was a radical-hippie-Jesus-lover. He had crazy piano skills and wrote songs that brought worship to a new level. I’d never heard anyone sing with so much conviction and passion. The lyrics to his songs were raw and deeply honest. It was a thrill to be able to hear him live. We sat in the front row.

After the concert, we walked back to the parking ramp and discovered our car had been broken into. The window had been smashed and our bags torn apart. We were poor college students at the time, so the robbers didn’t find anything worth stealing. It was a cold ride home to LaCrosse that night, but it could have been worse and we were thankful.

A year after we heard Keith Green perform, he died in a plane crash. He was 28 years old. I remember hearing the news on the radio, sitting on the stairs in our townhouse apartment, and weeping.

I recalled this memory because of a quote I read this week by another old dead guy, Matthew Henry. He was a preacher in the 1700’s and was attacked one night by robbers on the streets of London. Reflecting on his unsettling experience he said:

“I am thankful first because I have never been robbed before.
Second, although they took my money, they did not take my life.
Third, they took everything, but it wasn’t much.
Fourth, I am thankful that it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.“

As we count our many blessings,
let’s be thankful for all the disasters that didn’t happen,
for all the close calls that were avoided,
for all the near misses that were thwarted.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip.
The Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.
Psalm 121