It may be beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but it’s not feeling like Christmas in North Louisiana. It’s muggy, warm, and the next cold weather spell is still a ways off. But, one thing that can get us in the spirit is the gift of a great post - and I’ve saved some good ones to share with you. I have a favorite this week - you’ll have to read through them to identify it!
Practicing Peace is Patrick Ryan’s sermon from Esther. He captures that enchanting story in such a beautiful way. “Advent is here to remind us that time doesn’t have us; we have time. Advent is a season full of God-opportunity, here to teach us to pay attention to how all our moments are full of God and full of opportunity for us to respond to who God is and what He’s doing.”
Alan Davey posted a contemplative post called In The Forest. It’s not a long read, but I think it runs deep. “My interest is also piqued by the fact that walking in a forest enlivens one’s health and lifts the spirit.”
I enjoyed some smiles and a good message as I read through Daniel Davey’s An Ode To The Sears Wishbook. I’m of an age where I clearly remember the joy and excitement of the wishbook. “What I realize now is, hidden in that longing there’s an innate yearning for something better—some lasting pleasure or sense of completion.”
Gift lists are eclectic in that they reflect the interests of the person assembling them. Melissa Lyttle did a great job collecting some gift ideas for the photographer in your life HERE.
Take a little time to travel with Holly Rabalais on The Slow(er) Route. You’ll be glad you did. “Have you ever driven parallel to a railroad along marshlands or peered over a bridge at a bayou as rich as chocolate milk? Or crossed the Atchafalaya Basin teeming with cypress trees and egrets?”
Joel Miller is setting a goal to read twelve classic novels in 2023, and write a review for each one. Enduring Fiction is his great post on this. I’m going to join him in that goal, but my book list will look different. I’m going to start with A. A. Milne. More later.
Connected to that, Jenny Shannon has an incomplete list of Books I’ve Read in 2022. I like this idea and might do one of those myself. I am enjoying being surrounded by such a company of interesting writers on Substack!
While we’re talking about reading, did you know you can subscribe to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and have it arrive in your inbox in serial form each day? You’re not too far behind to catch up. The newsletter is A Dickens December.
If each smooth tile had been a blank at first, with power to shape some picture on its surface from the disjointed fragments of his thoughts, there would have been a copy of old Marley's head on every one. "Humbug!" said Scrooge; and walked across the room. - Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Oh, I was going to list my favorite post this week. I loved Charles Schifano’s post, The Power Struggle. I think it’s my favorite find this week. It almost made me want to turn off my electric devices, but then I wouldn’t have been able to share it with you. There’s a lot to think through there.
And in libraries—these were labyrinthine, cavernous places, where we kept row upon row of printed books—there were always lengthy wood tables, but they were always exposed, plain, nude to the world, without an outlet in sight. Nevertheless, whenever I drift to the past, my memories impressionistic, fragmented, even I find it hard to believe that society ever escaped the pure barbarism of trains without outlets. - Charles Schifano, Power Struggle
In Case You Missed It
Knowing that the holidays are difficult times for many people, I posted 22 Encouragements for Strugglers from the book of Philippians.
Similarly, When The Holidays Are Hard was a sermon that came from my heart. Notes, audio and video are available on this post.
Hope, an Advent devotional thought. I contributed three short devotionals to this series, and it’s linked in that post if you’d like to see more.
Earlier this week I taught a Bible class on Psalm 142. Here are the notes: God Cares For My Soul.
Well, that’s what I found this week. Thanks for stopping by. I hope that some of what I found was a blessing to you as it was to me.
My other substack is Sermons From Forsythe - devotionals, sermons, class notes.
I finally find myself with a weekend free to dive into some of these recommendations as well as many I’ve missed from my subscriptions for the last week. Thanks, as always, for sharing these treasures from your rummaging!