Seven Holidays to Ring in the New Year

Last updated on: December 27, 2023 at 6:12 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

New Year’s Day is a universal celebration, passing from one year to another. Common celebrations include fireworks, champagne, kisses at midnight, and midnight countdowns. Did you know that New Year’s Day isn’t the only January 1 holiday? From a number of religious observances to secular themes that embody spiritual principles, here’s a list of seven different holidays that ring in the New Year (other than New Year’s Day). Feast of the Circumcision of Christ The Feast of the Circumcision of... Read more

Eight Facts for Those Who are Not Into Christmas

Last updated on: December 27, 2023 at 6:11 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

Statistics cite an overwhelming 88% of Americans celebrate Christmas. More than two billion people worldwide consider it an essential holiday. As people shop, prepare for family visits, and spend excessive amounts of money, it can feel like Christmas is an annual requirement. Those who don’t jump into the holiday with joy can feel left out, even overshadowed. With pressures to participate and a near-societal expectation to engage in Christmas in some form, is Christmas a required holiday? Most who celebrate... Read more

Jesus Breaks Through our Silent Night

Last updated on: December 25, 2023 at 6:07 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

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Whenever I hear the term “Silent Night,” I don’t think of the hymn attributed to Martin Luther. A nativity scene isn’t the first thought in my mind. In fact, I don’t think of much of what we often associate with Christmas. I think of the period between December 23, 2018 and January 4, 2019; a very specific time in my life. I didn’t know it at the time, but it would be the beginning of the last four weeks of... Read more

Mary Sings Her Prophetic Song for Us

Last updated on: November 7, 2023 at 8:59 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

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“Mary’s Song,” as most Bible headings print in bold font, is Luke 1:46-55. It’s spoken during Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, right after a pregnant Elizabeth feels the soon-to-be John the Baptist stir within her. At this point in the story, both Mary and Elizabeth know they are pregnant with the future; they are literally living – and carrying prophecy. In that moment, full of realization…companionship…and prophecy…Mary speaks. She wasn’t just talking about herself (as some churches surmise); she was also... Read more

Ten December Holidays You Probably Don’t Know About

Last updated on: December 11, 2023 at 7:04 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

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Christmas is known throughout the world as both a religious and secular holiday. Regardless of culture, there’s likely someone in every nation who has heard of Christmas. Whether loving the decorations, carols, Santa Claus, gift giving, or Jesus, Christmas is a universal hodgepodge of winter festivals. As Christmas has a way of overshadowing other holidays, it’s easy to assume Christmas is the only holiday in December. In actuality, there are over forty different seasonal, holiday, cultural, and secular festivals that... Read more

Addressing Seven Common Myths About HIV/AIDS

Last updated on: November 7, 2023 at 4:25 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

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December 1st marks the 35th anniversary of World AIDS Day. For those unfamiliar with the observance, World AIDS Day serves to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. It exists to help dispel common myths about HIV/AIDS as well as the stigmas that surround the disease. It is also a day of remembrance for those who have died as a result of the worldwide pandemic. According to the World AIDS Day page at hiv.gov: “Through remembrance, we draw strength and determination to redouble... Read more

Who Will be at Heaven’s Thanksgiving Table?

Last updated on: November 6, 2023 at 11:00 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

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Someone once said we will probably be surprised at those present at heaven’s “Thanksgiving table” (the wedding feast of the Lamb). The people we automatically assume will have a prime seat will be nowhere to be found…while those we’ve determined unworthy will sit in the supreme seats. Over the years, I’ve given this idea a lot of thought. On an inspection of Christianity today, I think we I think we need to think more about this and give it some... Read more

Immigrants in the Bible

Last updated on: November 15, 2023 at 9:59 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

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Immigration is a hot-button topic worldwide. The displacement of citizens due to war, famine, disease, and political unrest leaves people searching for new land to call home. As news media, talk shows, politicians, and social media rage about the issue, it’s obvious people don’t agree about the issue. Arguing everything from economics, to lack of jobs and housing, to safety and morality, immigration doesn’t appear, at least in modern times, to have an easy answer. This raises the question for... Read more

How Abortion Became the Poster-Child for the Religious Right

Last updated on: October 17, 2023 at 12:00 am By Lee Ann B. Marino

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“Everyone here needs to read R.J. Rushdoony. Get a copy of his writings and be blessed by them!” Those eighteen words were spoken by my first church pastor. They were also my introduction to the church-based indoctrination of the Religious Right. I had been a Pentecostal Christian for four months; newly born again, and eager to learn. Growing up in a different church, I wasn’t a stranger to anti-choice rhetoric. I was, however, ignorant to a so-called standard Evangelical or... Read more

Terms for Biblical Love (and What We Can Learn From Them)

Last updated on: October 16, 2023 at 5:57 pm By Lee Ann B. Marino

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When we discuss Biblical love, we don’t take into account that there are different types of love specified in Scripture. Every one of these different terms has different meanings. They also take into account different things, to give us different insights. The varied concepts of love show us that love is both complicated and multi-dimensional. It’s a reflection of both a people experience and a spiritual one. The more we learn about it, the better we recognize and embrace it... Read more