I grew up with Advent calendars. You know, the kind that are printed on thick stock paper and have little doors that, when opened, reveal a lamb or a shepherd or some other figure or object. For a child like me, it was exciting to discover what was behind those . . .

Is there a business that keeps drawing you back not because of its price or selection but because of some other trait? Perhaps it is your neighborhood coffee shop—the one where everyone is so friendly and somehow feels like a little piece of your hometown, even . . .

We are okay with the mention of Mary’s name in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. She was the mother of Jesus, and Scripture praises her piety. But it’s almost jarring that the only other person mentioned by name in those creeds is Pontius Pilate. He was the faithless . . .