As I type these words, we are only a few days from “ringing in” another new year. In my earlier years, I couldn’t understand why anybody would go to bed before midnight on New Year’s Eve. I have since found out that a new year can begin just fine without me being awake to welcome it. I’ve also learned that making resolutions all too often proves to be futile exercise. I’m sure that most of us mean well, but it seems that our resolve also falters after a few weeks or months. Since many of us are already thinking about a meaningful resolution, I’d like to suggest one. If we…

I don’t know about you, but I am almost stretched to my limit. There has been shopping, wrapping, baking, making, attending, laundering, cleaning, listing, packing, dispensing, writing, studying…and the list just goes on and on! When I finally sat down last night (exhausted), I wondered where the peace was that I hear and read about during this season? For some reason, a song came to mind. We don’t sing it often but maybe we should. The words of the first verse just kept going through my mind and I calmed down as I thought about their message and meaning. I decided to look it up in our song book and…

How many times have you spent a great deal of time and given much thought to a gift for a child only to watch that child play with the box more than what was in the box? Have you ever bought or received something as a gift and then have found it later in a drawer or hidden away somewhere unused (or used very little)? Have you reached the age and/or stage in life where you tell your family to not buy you any gifts because you either realize that you have everything you really need and/or that you can get what you might want for yourself? Gift giving can…

Considering the name of tomorrow’s holiday includes the word “giving,” it is only fitting that we spend the vast majority of our time in this season thinking about how we should be giving thanks, ultimately to God, but also to other people. Sometimes we struggle to show gratitude, so these reminders are necessary and helpful. That said, is it not also true that we sometimes struggle to appropriately be the recipient of thanks? When someone gives us a heartfelt “thank you,” we can often respond in ways that do not truly accept the thanks and, if we are not careful, can even be off-putting to the one who has shown…

For about a month now I have been getting rid of things we don’t need or use. I’ve been cleaning out closets, cabinets, and the garage. The donation center has seen us often and will probably see us a few more times before I’m finished! I asked myself, “Why do we have all of this stuff?” I know the answer – we bought it because we wanted it, but did we really need it?? Did any of it really make our lives better, or were we just filling a perceived need? Were we trying to make others think more highly of us with things, and not with actions? I’ve done…

Pedestals are used for a variety of reasons. We might be talking about the part of a vase that lifts the contents of the vase a little higher than would otherwise be the case. Maybe you have walked into a jewelry store and have noticed a pedestal being used to elevate one particular watch, necklace, or ring above all of the others. It could be a bakery, an art gallery, or a host of other places that make use of pedestals.    I think you get the idea. There is a subtle message when a pedestal is used. That message is something like: “Everything you’re looking at is special, but the…