Articles

It must have been pretty discouraging. Elisabeth and her husband, Zacharias, had wanted for years to have a child.

The word Hanuka means "dedication"—but what does dedication have to do with the eight-day holiday that Jews around the world celebrate at this time of year? The answer lies in an ancient story of armed rebellion and a struggle for religious freedom. It was the second century BC, and as they had had to do so often, the Jewish people were fighting for their religious lives.

It Was September three years back when my wife and I brought home our first child. Like any new parents, we were excited (and a little nervous) about our new parenting role.

Why is Christmas special? What does it mean to you and other kids, everywhere? The Journal talked with children in various parts of the world to get their thoughts. Here is some of what they shared.

Celebrating the birth of the Christ child takes many forms but the message remains the same. It tells of love.

Most people who observe Christmas probably hope to experience at least a moment when the spirit of the holidays will take hold of them. A Christmas moment might be described as feeling the touch of divine wonder—a warm love that makes you feel worthy and good.

I'll admit it . I loved Christmas when I was a kid.

Bill Lear , who developed the Learjet, was an inventor who was always open to infinite possibilities. He helped begin the car radio industry, developed an automatic direction finder for airplanes, among other inventions, as well as the airplane that carried his name.

From the grids that carry light from town to town, to terrorist threats and natural disasters, to the flexing of political muscles, to "power plays" in a hockey rink, power and its influence are inescapable. In fact, there's a generally held belief that all things are at the mercy of either ignorant, random forces, or of political decisions that can work either for good or evil.

Those who are unfamiliar with spiritual healing or who are just beginning to consider its possibilities for their own lives may naturally have some questions. They may wonder, for example, why the activity of prayer, which is essentially a mental activity, should have any direct impact on healing a bodily illness, which appears to be essentially a physical condition.