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Typically, thanksgiving comes after. After the answer. After the reconciliation. After the storm has ceased. After.  If we remember. Yet, in the New Testament, Paul linked prayer with thanksgiving. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.” Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every…

Paul knew how to start a letter: “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy.” Philippians 1:3 NIV “We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.” 1 Thessalonians 1:2 “I always thank my God as I…

Our church fields an extensive staff. Pastors exist for every ministry imaginable. However, Scripture records one office I have yet to see: Director of Thanksgiving. Check out the verses below. “Mattaniah son of Mika, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, the director who led in thanksgiving and prayer;” Nehemiah 11:17 “The Levites were Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel,…

Sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas, Thanksgiving gets the squeeze. Even Black Friday sales bleed over into Thursday. Now I’m all about Christmas as long as Jesus remains its focus, but we do harm to neglect Thanksgiving.  “Thanks” and “thanksgiving” pop up over one hundred times in Scripture. Yet surprisingly Hebrew has no specific word for…

The world is known for divisions: culture, education, socio-economic status, race, language, gender.  The early Church was marked by love—and oneness: All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their…

I had done my homework, but still, I was unprepared for the demands of our new family addition. A working dog. Specifically, a Belgian Malinois. Two years later, I’m still amazed by his abilities. I expected our new pup to require a lot of physical activity. What surprised me was his need for mental stimulation. …

As the book of Exodus opens, the author drops his readers into a cauldron brewing with evil. The Israelites living in Egypt have been enslaved and Pharaoh has commanded his citizens to kill every Hebrew baby boy.  At stake is the life of Moses, the deliverer, and ultimately Christ, because if Israel is wiped out,…

Administer justice. Has that ever shown up on your job description? If you work with people, be they little peeps or big ones, you can bet the need for justice will arise. Whether we play referee for the kids at home or negotiate contract terms, we all benefit when justice prevails.  Many of us have…

I want to address an observation I’ve made as the culture gap widens in our country. In times past, though two parties differed, sound arguments could be made for both sides. Open debate where ideas could be expressed and examined from many angles helped us think through issues and, even if we disagreed, enabled us…

We recently welcomed another grandbaby into the world. Though the baby is our second granddaughter, she’s the first child for our son and daughter-in-love. New parents have that deer-in-the-headlights look. After nine months of preparation, reality hits as this new little person looks up at Mom and Dad—completely dependent on them. Talk about overwhelming! All…