Only ignorance takes the manger lightly. When we find the King in the manger, we either draw our swords with Herod or bow low with the Magi.

If our story tells where we've been, our song tells where we hope to arrive. In finding our song we rediscover what we once allowed ourselves to hope for.

Silence and darkness scare us. But it’s in this place of waiting we are reminded that everything is not OK–that hope and waiting matter now because we need God for more than salvation.

Stories are moving, powerful, meaningful, and private. With whom we share and let share our stories defines us and the grander story we truly believe.