This is probably my favorite retelling of the Christmas story. The folks at St. Paul’s Church in Auckland, New Zealand do a fantastatic job with the video, music, and all the rest, and you have to love the brilliance of the idea of letting children tell the story. Plus, their New Zealand accents are adorable, especially when they say “baby” (I suppose it would have been over the top if they’d thrown in “dingo” as well. ☺) Watching it a week after the events in Newtown made it all the more poignant. I hope you can be encouraged wherever you are by this simple retelling of a beautiful story and feel, once again, the love of Jesus...

I have a riddle for you. What is more precious than gold but cannot be bought, earned, or saved? Before answering, let me share with you the story of a nearly perfect day. This past Sunday was absolutely beautiful in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, moving from the high fifties as the sun came up to near eighty degrees and sunny by mid-afternoon. After waking up I took our two dogs for a long walk. Then I went to church and enjoyed a great sermon and worship service. Then we threw a kayak on our car and took the family to Lake Harriet (featured in the picture) and while my two kids kayaked, my wife Karin and I walked around the...