Many of us will be privileged to gather on Thanksgiving Day with family and friends to enjoy a bountiful feast and hearty conversations around the table. As one of our treasured holidays, Thanksgiving is a day set aside not only…
When you count your blessings, what do you count?
“The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings,” according to philosopher Eric Hoffer. I grew up in church singing the beloved hymn by Johnson Oatman Jr., “Count Your Blessings.” What is a blessing? And…
Strengthening your EQ: 8 tips for managing your emotions
In the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, there’s a line that says, “I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.” In…
12 insights on navigating marriage and ministry
In her book Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, Anne Lamott suggests, “A good marriage is where both people feel like they’re getting the better end of the deal.” However, I can readily identify with Winston Churchill’s assessment: “My most…
A reflection for Labor Day: 7 good things about work
Work is good and essential in both a civilized society and a spiritual community. Maya Angelou aptly observed, “Nothing will work unless you do.” Work is not the essence of life, nor is the avoidance of work the key to…
Grieving for those who still are here
As a minister, I mostly deal with grief among parishioners as a process that follows the death of a friend or loved one. When a friend or loved one dies, a bereavement process begins, launching a journey that allows those…
God in three persons, blessed Trinity
Although I would not make a good Jeopardy! contestant and I seldom win at Trivial Pursuit, I tend to remember unusual things about movies. A few facts stick in my mind, like where the movie was made, whether the movie…
The Holy Spirit: An advocate, comforter and encourager for times like these
The Holy Spirit can be the most underrated and misunderstood persona with the Divine Presence. Popular author Frances Chan suggests, “There is a big gap between what we read in Scripture about the Holy Spirit and how most believers and…
10 life lessons from Holy Week
Our reflective Lenten journey is complete and our celebrative journey into Eastertide has begun. But before we leave Holy Week too quickly, there are a few takeaways from the stories we encountered we need to bookmark, a few lessons for…