The turkey is all gone. The other left-overs have all been eaten or are growing fuzz in their containers in the refrigerator. The blow-up mattresses have all been deflated and put back in their containers. The blankets and extra pillows are back on the closet shelf. The sheets, towels, and tablecloths are all washed and back in the linen closets. Games and songbooks are neatly stored in the cabinet and basket in which they live.  The noise and laughter of eleven people being under one roof is gone and the house is very quiet again. The memories of funny stories and actions live on in our minds, but Thanksgiving 2017 is over. Those of…

We live in a time of labels. Everyone has to have an identity and we seem to want to group together with people based on certain labels. More than that, we live in times where we are continually standing for “rights” or “privileges” based on those labels. Some are gender-based. Some are based on ethnicity or skin color. Many in our modern culture base their identity on their sexuality. We describe ourselves by our jobs, or marital status, teams we root for, and more. It seems that, unless we fit into a certain category, we aren’t accepted by today’s world. It’s almost as if you have to check just the…

I proved a song wrong recently. It was just after 2:30 in the morning, and my phone rang. It was a wrong number, but it woke me up and jarred me enough that I struggled to fall back asleep. My mind was racing. After a little while, my mind thought of some lyrics from the classic movie “White Christmas:” When I get worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep. Then I fall asleep counting my blessings. It was the middle of the night, so I figured I’d give it a try. I started to think of blessings, reminding myself that “every good and every perfect…

This week, our nation celebrates my very favorite holiday. It is not “marred” by some of the manmade legends and superstitions of other holidays. Neither has it (yet) become commercialized as much as other holidays. Thanksgiving, at least in our family, is a day that loved ones get together and enjoy some time together. There are no gifts to be exchanged. There are, at least in most families, no elaborate ceremonies or rituals. People who love one another get to relax (except for those who spend hours cooking), share memories, make memories, and, hopefully, spend some time expressing gratitude to God for the blessings we have.  During this season, it is not uncommon to be…