Brian S. McGee

The calendar turns, the culture starts chanting its annual liturgy, and the same familiar promises come back around: new year, new you. We draft our resolutions with serious faces and hopeful hearts—health, productivity, better habits, and fewer regrets. None of these things are evil in themselves. Some may even be wise and provide much benefit. But as followers of Jesus, let’s be honest: a year can be filled with impressive goals and still be spiritually hollow. Even empty. And yes, even...

The holiday season often arrives wrapped in lights, music, and well-meaning expectations. For many, though, December intensifies what is already heavy: the empty chair at the table, the silence after a conversation that will not happen again, the ache of a relationship that has changed or ended. Unlike many who take time off for vacation during the holidays, loneliness and grief do not take time off for Christmas. In fact, they often sharpen, intensify, and can become overwhelming. The world...

Throughout every generation, people have struggled to answer the fundamental question about their identity…