This time of year, Christmas time, the world isn't so much Christ-expectant as it is Christ-haunted.

My husband and I just adopted Duke, a very cute beagle mix, from a nearby shelter. He is about three years old and was found wandering in a park several months ago.

The kind of peace Jesus points to can't be achieved with words.

For all our best efforts—political and evangelistic—our approach should always be through the Theology of the Cross. Our gardens are still bloody, but the blood of the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world will one day restore peace to our gardens.