On November 29, my wife and I became grandparents for the first time. When I walked into the hospital to see my daughter cuddling little Charlotte, it was a magical moment, just like it was when all three of our children came into the world. The season of Advent is...

  Monday, Monday, can’t trust that day… So sang the Mamas and the Papas in their 1966 hit. If you can’t trust the first day of the week, some believe you really can’t trust the third Monday of January, known as “Blue Monday.” In 2005, Cliff Arnall of Cardiff University in...

  Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) – but how many of us really believe that? Certainly not Ebenezer Scrooge, the infamous miser of “A Christmas Carol.” Charles Dickens, his creator, described him as “hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had...

  “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy down in my heart!” Remember that camp song from way back when? It perfectly summarizes the third Sunday of Advent, called “Gaudete Sunday” in Roman Catholic and Anglican circles. “Gaudete” (pronounced “Gow-DAY-tay”) is a Latin word meaning “rejoice,” marking a shift from the...

  Ah, Christmas! The season of joy, peace on earth — and stress. Lots and lots of stress. Maybe you have Christmas fatigue, worn out after putting up decorations, baking cookies and rushing to the umpteenth party. Perhaps you’ve spent too much and you’re already dreading the credit card bill next month. Or it...

  I’m a wanna-be outdoorsman. Though I’ve done my fair share of camping, fishing and hiking, I’m a greenhorn when compared to Munro baggers, volcano boarders and glacier cavers. I’m fascinated by people who climb sheer granite cliffs, hike the 2200 mile Appalachian trail, navigate angry rapids, hunt wild game. The...