A friend introduced me to Andrew Peterson's music a few years ago. Since then, I have hit "repeat" on my MP3 player again and again as I've been blessed by Andrew's thoughtful lyrics and gentle prose. I took my whole office to hear his BEHOLD THE LAMB Christmas concert. Just as the concert was beginning, I had the panic moment: This is our office outing for the holiday, and I've made the boss' decision that everyone will attend this musical. What if they don't like it?

Not to worry. Andrew and his crew (including favorites Sandra McCracken, Jill Phillips and Derek Webb) accompanied our hearts to the heart of God. I wept more than once as Andrew sang about our King. My colleagues fell in love with Andrew's gift, too. In fact, one of our "less emotional" men told me he teared up a few times himself. It's not too late to add Andrew's BEHOLD THE LAMB CD to your Christmas music tradition (I am receiving no royalties for this plug!). Here is the link to Andrew's site: www.andrew-peterson.com

To get a taste of his beautiful work, here is a bit from Andrew's latest journal entry: The ache is there again. Deep in the pit of my stomach, like a magic door standing in a field—a door that you can walk around, only when you open it you see not the field on other side of the door but a starry depth, dizzying and windless. It feels like that door was opened in my soul, a link to eternity that I’m not yet ready to enter, though I was made for nothing else. I feel that tiny opening and it is fear and joy and pain and peace all in the same moment, like my emotion has no adequate language to express exactly what it is, so it pokes at the sore spot and informs me that something’s there, and whatever it is it isn’t good. But it isn’t bad either. It’s different and dangerous.Read more

Just read it.

My heart is so heavy today for my friends, Frank and Carolyn James, as they grieve the loss of Kelly James and as they agonize over whether Brian and Nikko are still alive. As Frank said at the press conference a little while ago:

"This is a difficult day for all three families. Our hope was that Kelly, Brian and Jerry would all be rescued safely and that has led these families to become very, very close. We’re persuaded that Kelly has been found. But I feel like I have two other brothers still on the mountain, and the James family is deeply, deeply grateful to the rescue efforts to date. We wish the rescue workers godspeed in their ongoing efforts to bring Brian and Jerry down that mountain safely ...

"We find strength in your support and we join all of you in your prayers for the safe return of Brian and Jerry ... As Christians, we find peace that Kelly is with God .¤.¤. Kelly always told us he felt closest to God when he was on the mountain. That is what drove him to climb. We find enoormous comfort in knowing he lifted off that mountain from a place he loved, and from doing something that he loved very, very much.¤.¤.

"Thank you for all of your support. The family is very grateful."

I know the families would all appreciate your ongoing prayers. To let them know you are praying or to offer your condolences to the James family, visit the Mt. Hood Climbers blog they set up.

I wrote this poem about Mary of Bethany a few years ago and dedicated it to Carolyn James as it was inspired by the lessons she taught me and by her book, When Life and Beliefs Collide, which everyone should read. I am comforted today by Mary's story. Jesus invites us to sit at his feet and know him deeply. He knows that we will need to know him deeply for the days ahead. He grieves with us in our moments of deepest trial. And he has not only wept with us in our grief, but he has drunk the cup of grief to its dregs so that we do not face sorrow or death alone. In short, he is the trail-blazer who forged ahead to meet and conquer death and rise again so that we might not grieve as those who have no hope. I pray that Kelly's family will find comfort in Christ, our trailblazer, who went ahead of us on a journey we were not fit to take to conquer death that we may live again.Read more

Come on, bloggers, this is a bandwagon worth jumping on.  Post the Amazon Customer Service numbers on your site and encourage others to do so.

Amazon.com Customer Service number: (800) 201-7575

I've heard that some people think that just because Amazon.com doesn't publish phone numbers on its  site that customers think that Amazon.com is not interested in high level customer service.Read more

Pictured:  Rev. John Yates, rector of The Falls Church.

Ninety percent of members in The Falls Church, an historic Anglican community in the Washington, DC area that has remained faithful to historic Christian orthodoxy voted to leave the Episcopal Church USA (hereafter ECUSA).  Likewise, ninety-two percent of communicants at Truro Episcopal Church voted to leave ECUSA.  Both churches remain in the worldwide Anglican communion and are seeking ecclesiastical authority and oversight from the Archbishop of Nigeria.

The Washington Post has the story (here).
NY Times story (here).

It remains to be seen whether The Falls Church and Truro will be successful in this attempt to leave ECUSA with their property.   ECUSA will likely sue the churches to retain the church property.  If The Falls Church, Truro and other congregations are allowed by the US courts to leave, I suspect many other congregations in ECUSA and the PC(USA) may try to leave as well.  Read more

CGO contributor Carolyn Custis James has asked for prayer for her brother-in-law, Kelly James, and the two other men lost on Mt. Hood in Oregon. Carolyn's husband, Frank James, is the president of Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando. Here is information from Carolyn, posted at www.whitbyforum.com.

This past Sunday, (Dec. 10), Frank and I received one of those dreaded midnight phone calls. Frank’s mom was on the line telling us his brother Kelly and two climbing partners, Brian Hall and Jerry “Nikko” Cooke are lost on Mt. Hood in Oregon.

Frank left Monday for Portland and has been there all week with my sister-in-law, Karen, and Kelly's four kids, Jason, Ford, Katie and Jack. If you've been following the news, you will know that Kelly is in a snow cave near the summit. The three climbers expected to complete their climb of Mt. Hood by Saturday. But something went wrong (we're not sure exactly what), so they dug a snow cave to keep Kelly safe, while Brian and Jerry went down the mountain for help. Read more

Joe Carter of the Evangelical Outpost has this Benny Hinn video listed in his Outtakes section.  Ohmygosh.  Should I cringe? laugh? marvel? pray? despair?

Watch "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor". 

I am a strange creature. I love, love, love, picking out presents for people. Did I mention I love picking out presents for people? Now don't get me wrong. I'm not so gleeful when it comes to paying for them, mostly because non-profit work doesn't exactly leave one rolling in the green, but still, I adore finding just the right gift that will be meaningful and appreciated and seeing someone's face when they open it. This year my holiday shopping has gotten even brighter as I've discovered ways to spread that joy not just to the recipient, but also to the gift-creators. If you are scratching your head for ideas, let me share a few suggestions that you can feel good about in both the purchasing and giving!!!Read more

1. At her other blog, The Point, Catherine Claire writes a brief, well-written and potent post on the scandal of the 500% growth in US prison population during a time when the overall population only grew 40%. Read more

Susan Wise Bauer has been writing a four volume History of the World and the first volume is coming out this spring.  Norton will publish The History of the Ancient World: From Earliest Accounts to the Fall of Rome on March 27, 2007.Read more