As 2018 dawns, predictions abound, with many focused on odds of triumph: Who will dominate the Winter Olympics, the Super Bowl, and later in the year, the midterm elections?

Time magazine offered a preview of 2018 by featuring on its cover the four women starring in the upcoming film A Wrinkle in Time, based on the acclaimed children’s book by Madeleine L’Engle. The novel appeared in 1962, but its themes are familiar: good versus evil, light versus darkness—who or what will win?

In late November, Emma Wren Gibson was born just in time for the Christmas season—and 25 years after her conception.

A quarter century ago, fertility doctors froze Emma while she was still an embryo created during the process of in vitro fertilization (IVF). Many parents who bear children through IVF choose to freeze indefinitely any remaining embryos after they have the number of children they desire (or if the mother can’t carry more unborn children).

The complicated relief after an acrimonious political race ends—whether you’re pleased or grieved at the results—is a temporary luxury in our year-round campaign seasons.

The bitter battle in Alabama between Roy Moore and Doug Jones seems over (unless Moore contests the results), but another round beckons: campaigning for mid-term elections starts, well, now.

You’ll hear plenty in 2018 about a civil war in the Republican Party over the kind of candidates the party should support and the kind of policies the GOP should promote. These are important arguments.

It’s happening with more frequency now: Friends or acquaintances who ask about my work and then say something like: “I just try not to pay attention to the news anymore.” 

Often, these are thoughtful Christians worn down by what seems like a circus in Washington and a dumpster fire around the world. 

For others, it’s the torrent of the trivial. 

Here’s a sampling of some of today’s top stories at BuzzFeed: “Which millennial stereotype are you?” “I just learned that there are Disney Princess Engagement rings and they are SO PRETTY.” 

For those keeping track, Dec. 3 marks the first Sunday of Advent. 

It comes at a good time.

The Advent season begins as the advent of a particularly dark cultural moment continues. This week brought more disturbing accusations against more powerful men about sexual misconduct against women they knew. 

Long lay the world in sin and error pining …

With the advent of the Christmas season, I’ve been considering: How did the perfect God-man interact with women when He lived on earth? 

The Gospels show us. 

In a news week consumed with the ugly convulsions in a Senate race in Alabama, my mind keeps returning to the red roses in a tiny church in Texas.

Have you seen the images?

The members of First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, turned the site of a madman’s massacre in their little sanctuary into a moving memorial to the 26 churchgoers cut down during morning worship on Nov. 5.

Our current cover story in WORLD features our 2017 Daniel of the Year: Joni Eareckson Tada. You can read more here about the remarkable life she’s led as a quadriplegic and disabilities advocate since her diving accident 50 years ago.

Earlier this year, I spent time shadowing Joni at church, work, and home. Here are a few takeaways from that experience: