Debbie W. Wilson

Refreshing Faith

The Christmas Gift That Makes You Rich

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A few days before Christmas one year, my cousin flew from San Antonio, Texas to Washington, DC. Young soldiers filled her packed plane. The captain welcomed them and announced the soldiers were on the first leg of a trip to an unsafe region of the world. The plane applauded. But one man did more.

Before I describe the scene, let me set the stage. My daughter and I had just returned from a roundtrip flight. Because my daughter works for an airline, we got bumped to first class on our flight to Chicago, but we flew home coach. Let me describe the difference between our coach and first-class trips.Continue Reading

How Did Mary Show Faith the First Christmas?

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Mary’s mouth gaped. The angel had vanished as quickly as he’d appeared leaving Mary’s mind whirling with awe and questions. God had chosen her—a nobody—to be the mother of His Son! Who could she tell? Who would believe her? Would Joseph? The angel said her cousin Elizabeth also carried a miracle child. And her husband was a priest. She would visit Elizabeth and Zechariah.

Elizabeth’s welcome astonished Mary.

In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!’” (Luke 1:42-45 NIV).

Mary’s hope soared; she didn’t even have to explain! Would the Lord prepare Joseph as He had Elizabeth?Continue Reading

Let Joseph Inspire Your Faith this Christmas

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My romantic view of a stable vanished when I visited a camel and watched him project bodily filth in the direction of onlookers. My childhood notion that the first Christmas was all joy for the main characters evaporated too. Mary and Joseph experienced a bevy of challenges including fear, betrayal, and misunderstanding. In other words, the first Christmas included real people with real problems—people like us. That makes Joseph’s faith all the more inspiring.Continue Reading

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