Join us in this enlightening mini-episode as we delve into the rich history and profound spiritual meaning of Lent! In this video, you'll discover the origins of Lent, what makes up it's three pillars, and more about the traditions that surround this annual event...
In this special Christmas episode Phylicia shares two pieces from her Advent series on the problem of evil and a special devotional piece on the personal nature of God’s grace.
Is Christmas a pagan holiday? What about Christmas trees, Santa Claus, and the advent of… Advent? Get answers to all these questions in this episode, which is an excerpt from the new holiday guide, Seasonal Celebrations.
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, we’re talking about the day’s namesake this week! Who was Valentine? What did he do? You’ll learn why Valentine’s Day is not just about flowers and chocolates and why it can inspire you to outreach this February.
Every fall the posts and hot takes are flying: Should Christians celebrate Halloween?In this episode, Phy breaks down the history of Samhain and All Hallowed’s Eve, then discusses how to discern the celebration of this holiday and the options of imitation, abstention, or redemption. She also discusses magic in books and movies.
This question comes up a lot at Christmas: Is Jeremiah 10 a prohibition of Christmas trees? Let's look at what it says. Hear what the Lord says to you, people of Israel. This is what the Lord says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations    or be terrified by signs in...
A few years ago I first saw an infographic running around Facebook about Easter and its “pagan origins”. I was intrigued by this accusation. I knew that it often came from Messianic and Hebraic Roots communities, but since I try to entertain other views, I did some serious digging.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and like All Saints Day, we like to celebrate this small holiday in a way which connects to its church history. Though we no longer have access to much history of Saint Valentine (who was likely a conglomeration of more than one person by that name), the church legends associated with him grant much greater meaning to this holiday than the commercialized version would have you know.
All Saints Day was first instituted in 735 AD by Pope Gregory IV, who moved the date from its previous observance in May to its new date of November 1st. This day was meant to celebrate the martyrs, and most likely emerged in the first few centuries after the Diocletian persecution of the church (which came before Constantine legalized Christianity in the 300s). The “saints” were (and are) believers in Christ and/or martyrs for the faith.
We are in that awkward stage of marriage where the holidays are no longer the “free and easy” of our dating days, when events could be attended without coordinating a babysitter. But we’re not quite to the stage of parenting where our girls can really engage with the holiday, either. But I don’t want to wait until our girls are older to start making family traditions and enjoying the Christmas season.