The angel who appeared to the shepherds doesn’t send them off to see the baby straight away. He doesn’t draw a map or tell them to eat up for the journey. He doesn’t give the details of how Mary and Joseph landed in Bethlehem or how the newborn Savior will someday ransom the captives free and save the world. The first thing the angel does after announcing the birth of Jesus is to worship.

I woke this past Saturday at 5:30 am, and my blood turned to ice as I turned on the news. The Governor of Kentucky stood in front of a podium, and the electronic banner beneath him read, Massive tornado hits Kentucky. The screen changed to a map of a red line that ran straight up the state’s western side—right to where my parents lived.

My son calls me the Grinch. I have this weird thing about me that I like to have all the Christmas decorations down before starting the New Year. I’m torn about it. Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, as the song goes. I’m filled with whimsical sorrow as I wrap up the nativity scene and stow away the ornaments for another year. However, part of me gets excited because the anticipation isn’t over.

It was a big day in the Dudley household. My sixteen-year-old passed the written driving test to get his learner’s permit. Shortly after, I handed over the wheel and was out on the road with him, traversing through neighborhoods. Handing over the controls isn’t an easy task. My right foot pumped an invisible break, and my grip tightened on the door handle. Somehow, I maintained a calm voice, “you’re doing well, now break… break… break harder.”

A gallon of Redbull doesn't compare to Christmas anticipation, but are we looking for the return of God the same way?

Less than a month before The Duke's Refuge launches!