For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 Can you imagine seeing our prominent leaders, the wisest sage of our days, or even your own father, bending their knees to bow before a child? The Wise Men sought Him, but other kings tried to kill Him. This child born in a lowly manger sure caused a stir. How can the birth of a baby boy turn things around? It really passes all understanding. The birth of this child will bring salvation…

Music is a wonderful part of the Christmas and Advent season. The first Noel, defined, literally means, “a Christmas carol” (Merriam Webster), and is synonymous with Christmas. It is in some of our favorite songs of the season where we find our next two names of God. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel According to Praisecharts.com, originally, monks in monasteries sung O Come, O Come Emmanuel during medieval days. The words of this song were considered so important that a separate stanza was assigned to each of the most pious monks, to be sung from the 16th of December to the 23rd. In the 1800’s, a standard tune was written for…

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2. The Plaza Lighting Ceremony is one of Kansas City’s most treasured traditions. For the past 90 years, people fill the plaza streets in anticipation of watching a local celebrity flip a switch that turns on 80 miles of lights. When that switch is flipped, it is officially the Christmas season in Kansas City. It is our way of announcing the most wonderful time of the year. It takes over 200,000 bulbs to create light in the Plaza’s darkness; however, the Light of the World shines…

Welcome to the 2020 Advent series here at Beautifully Broken. I am glad you are here. This year we are going to spend the next four weeks unwrapping some names of God. Have you ever wondered why there are so many names in the Bible for God? Me, too. Our names are important, don’t you agree? We have a first name, a last name, and usually a middle name. Then we often have nicknames. It is this combination of names that makes us unique.  Do you remember when everybody’s name and phone number were listed in a phone book? Our names are important because they identify and introduce us. Called…