Our companion book for our new worship series is David Leonhardt’s book, Ours was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream. Amazon’s website describes his book this way: Two decades into the twenty-first century, the stagnation of living standards has...
We end our series, Letters, on the last day of 2023, realizing that 2024 is a presidential election year. On January 7, we begin our new series, Country, based on a book titled, Ours was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream. We transition from Hall Mark...
What does the “American Dream” mean to you personally? A common description of the American Dream “Was the ability of people to rise above the circumstances of their birth.” Does it still exist? So far this century, campaign slogans promise to restore the American...
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. Isaiah 9:2-7 Questions for Life Groups Read Isaiah 9:2-7. What images come to mind as you read this text? Do you sometimes feel like you’re walking in darkness? Describe your feelings. What brings light for...
This week’s chapters from our companion book, Letters to Santa, ends with Polly’s arrival on Christmas Eve. Polly loves the store, but she didn’t go to Evergreen to buy a store. Instead, she offers Lisa and Oliver jobs in Boston. Her offer further complicates the...
God has anointed me to bring good news to the suffering and afflicted… to tell those who mourn that the time of God’s favor to them has come… Isaiah 61:1-4 Questions for Life Groups Read Isaiah 61:1-4. What images come to mind as you read this text? In what ways do...
In this week’s chapters from Letters to Santa, Lisa picks up the Christmas Globe at Kringle’s Kitchen and shakes it as she says, “Please work.” The snow globe was famous in Evergreen for people shaking it and making a wish as the snow settled on the couple in front of...
I will send my messenger ahead to open the way. Someone is shouting in the desert, “Get the road ready for the Lord; make a straight path for him to travel!” Mark 1:1-8 Questions for Life Groups Read Mark 1:1-8. What images come to mind as you read this text? In what...
Our companion book for our new worship series is Nancy Naigle’s book, Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa. Also a Hallmark movie, her book tells the story of how Lisa Palmer finally receives a gift she asked for at age seven in a letter to Santa. The author’s...
How is it going with your preparations for Christmas? Do you decorate your house inside and out? Do you have a tree up and decorated? Have you finished your Christmas shopping? Have you started? Preparations come with anticipation. The point of preparations is that...