The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2)

I love light. That’s why I get such pleasure from snow sparkling in the sun, yellow sunbeams spilling through my kitchen windows, or the soft glow of a Christmas candle. I’d like to think my attraction to light is a manifestation of my joy in the Light of the World, but then again, it could just be a case of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Christmas is a wonderful time to celebrate Jesus as the Light of the World and the Light of our Hearts.

O Holy Night (verse 2)
Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand;
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming,
Here came the wise men from Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger,
In all our trials born to be our Friend;
He knows our need,
To our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!
Behold your King, before Him lowly bend!

Welcome to Comfort Cafe, an ezine and resource center offering hope, help and healing for women.

WIN A DOOR PRIZE THIS MONTH!!!

Subscribe to our monthly ezine and automatically qualify for our weekly drawings. This month’s door prize is Celebrate Mom’s book, Laundry Tales and Poppy Smith’s inspiring book, I’m Too Human To Be Like Jesus.

CONGRATULATIONS TO LAST MONTH’S DOOR PRIZE WINNERS:

Sharon Hughes, Bridget Gazlay, Amy Mullins, Karen Yaughn

Ruth’s Blog

Sharing from the heart, friend to friend, Comfort Cafe’s editor, Ruth Wood, brings a personal connection to the site through her new blog. A separate blog subscription is finally available. Simply enter your email in the subscription box to receive weekly updates. Her latest posts are: Being Known, Giving Thanks, I Choose Life, and Psalm 23. See Ruth’s Blog.

Photography Blog

Deb Allen is providing a special type of blog for Comfort Cafe—short devotionals illustrated by beautiful photos she’s taken of nature. Enjoy her latest posts at www.heartscribeforhim.com/CreationSpeaks1.htm.

Coffee Shop Concert

Enjoy our Christmas Coffee Shop Concert with artists David Nevue, Tiffany Greider, Carrie Marshall and Ruth Wood & Friends.

LIFE STORIES

“When thinking of blessings in my life, the ones which stand out are not those inspiring gratitude but those which put me in the shadows. These life-shattering events could not be described as blessings at the time, yet without their occurrence I would not know God as I do today.” Valerie Ronald shares how she has been Blessed in the Shadows.

Addy Fields found A Good Reason To Cry, when she saw what God had done in her life.

Laurie Glass shares My Struggle With Anorexia, and gives some tips for those dealing with this disorder.

When The Mystery of the Pine Wreath was solved, healing and hope came to Jodi Goodlin’s heart.

DEVOTIONALS

“Michael is 17. He’s a senior in high school and he asked me to share a prayer request with you. Last week he found out that he will most likely not be here next Christmas.” See Louise Bergmann DuMont’s (Espresso for the Heart) A Christmas Yet to Come.

As women we struggle with body image. All of us want to be beautiful. Can we believe God sees us that way? God isn’t in the business of making junk Bridget Gazlay says in Me—Beautiful?!

Seeing ourselves as beautiful and God’s beloved is a worthwhile quest according to Gina Conroy in I’m Dulcinea.

Is there a situation making you feel God is absent in your life? Impossible odds stacked against you? In his timely Christmas devotional, Matt Koceich challenges us to Trust Him Today.

ARTICLES

“About two thousand years ago, a particular young woman also wondered about the child that grew within her. Unlike me, she didn’t wonder about the child’s name…” See Marianne Miles, Gracious Gift From God.

Laurie Glass points out how Fear and Eating Disorders go together. She includes some valuable advice for dealing with your food issues.

In Special Gifts—A Christmas Story, by Muriel Larson takes us on a deeper walk through the well-known account of Jesus’ birth.

Are we Missing Christmas? Sue Winchester wonders as she ponders our hectic lifestyles.

THE HEALING HEARTH

“Professional help, expert help, self-help—there’s a lot of it out there. When it comes to the care of our soul, though, whom can we trust?” See Victoria Gaines’ article, Biblical Care for the Soul

Looking for Writers

Our Help for the Hurting page lists all the topics we hope to address in the future. If you have a story or article that relates to one of these areas, I’d love to hear from you. Review our writer’s guidelines, then send your material to submissions@comfort-cafe.net.