My first visit to a Southern Baptist church occurred in 1971, when I was 15 years old. My family had just moved from Alamogordo, N.M., to my parent’s hometown of Muskogee, Okla. On my first Sunday in town, my aunt,…
Remember to give thanks for the things we don’t know to remember
Some readers will remember moments like those I experienced in Mr. Shea’s 10th grade world history class, as we listened via the intercom to the radio describing what we thought could be the last minutes of the world. The Cuban…
3 reasons to choose an attitude of gratitude
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…
Three stories from Jesus about the danger of hierarchy and gratitude
Remember the parable where Jesus warned against thankfulness in corporate worship? It’s a well-known parable in Luke 18, the first in a trilogy of scenes that question our assumptions about status and blessing in relationship with others. In the third…
A prescription for the 2020 Thanksgiving blues
“This will be the first time in 76 years I haven’t spent Thanksgiving with family,” my friend lamented. Not quite teary eyed, but obviously dismayed, she told me that her Thanksgiving would be spent at home with her husband. “For…
This year, I’m thankful because I do not understand
As is the tradition in most Romanian churches at Thanksgiving, people gather to thank God for their blessings. While the testimonies follow a common pattern — words of thanksgiving and stories about God’s work in their lives — what makes…
Gratitude and holy kisses in a pandemic
As we approach the season to count our blessings and celebrate earthly abundance, for many, gratitude will be hard to find in 2020. How is Thanksgiving going to work amid a seemingly endless pandemic with the loss of more than…
When the Holy Spirit joined my Uber ride
This is not one of those preacher stories that ends with someone saying the sinner’s prayer and getting baptized. But redemption traveled with us that night as we talked about life, pain and hope.
We inexplicably walked away from a terrifying accident. We’re still shaken – by the weight of gratitude
Some people would tell our incredible story of tragedy averted and credit angels’ wings, the intervention of something powerful and supernatural. That doesn’t fit my theology. But I have no doubt God was with us.