Category Archives: Christmas themed

Remnant (A Poem for Our Time and the Time to Come)

Posted on December 28, 2020 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings. (Proverbs 25:2) So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.      … Continue reading →

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Phyllis Beveridge Nissila Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us… (Ephesians 1:4)  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or … Continue reading →

Posted on December 24, 2020 by pbn | Leave a comment

That First Noel

Posted on December 19, 2020 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila   In the completeness  of time (just in time) He came one night squalling, hungry, swaddled, cradled– and they wondered who they held.

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Another Christmas re-gift: Once Again to Nabokov

Posted on December 11, 2020 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila 2020 This post first appeared back in 2012, and has been featured several times since, each time for a new reason in an old story of evil versus good, fear versus hope, bondage versus freedom, despair versus … Continue reading →

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A Stack of Seven Fun and Heart-Warming Stories from Christmases Past

Posted on December 5, 2020 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila To lighten your spirits this holiday season, here is my gift to you: a “stack” of posts from Christmases past drawn from family stories.  Enjoy!      

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Still. In the Moment. God. (Even in 2020)

Posted on December 1, 2020 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila UPDATE December, 2020 This post, first offered in the summer of 2016, is a reminder again today to trust God when it seems the (political) Kraken, “battened” (fattened)  sufficiently on power and greed, has finally surfaced for … Continue reading →

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To the Manor Born Again (an Advent Poem)

Posted on November 30, 2020 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9) To the Manor … Continue reading →

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Seeking God While He is Yet Found–in Metaphor, Matrix, and Magnum Mysterium

Posted on August 18, 2020 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila Metaphor For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made… (Romans 1:20, NIV) I often think of what we see, hear, taste, … Continue reading →

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We Need a Little Christmas in July…Again…

Posted on July 5, 2020 by pbn

Here’s my (annual) contribution. Every year when I re-post this it seems the world is more grief-filled, less hopeful. But the message in here is timeless–whether one is a believer, not, or not yet. Consider… From Russia with Hope: Christmas … Continue reading →

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Best of Holiday Posts–“From Russia with Hope: Christmas in July” (2012) and a Verse (2019)

Posted on December 22, 2019 by pbn

Phyllis Beveridge Nissila This post first appeared as a “Christmas in July” feature in 2012. The short story “Christmas” by Russian author Vladimir Nabokov is a little literary gem that for me addresses the temptation to despair when grief overshadows … Continue reading →

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