As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when…
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. (Psalm 69:30 NIV) Throughout Scripture we see David praising and worshipping God in a variety of ways—playing the harp, dancing to music, and writing psalms. The psalms are authentic and unfiltered expressions of emotion directed at God. David expressed joy, sorrow, frustration, delight,…
Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. (Colossians 3:16 NIV) I love the concept of gratitude. An attitude of gratitude can often be the beginning of so…
Thanksgiving will be here soon, and then everything will be all right. That was my mantra during the autumn of 2004. It began with Hurricane Charley, which sent us scurrying to a nearby elementary school for shelter. While we hunkered down in the cafeteria, Charley pulled a few shingles off our roof and caused other…
The holidays can be a challenging time. Dysfunctional families, loneliness, the pressure to deliver the perfect family gathering, travel plans and mishaps. But these times can also bring great joy as people renew connections and embrace the blessings of the season with gratitude and love. The stresses of cooking can often disappear in the hugs…
It was November 28, 1977. Another Thanksgiving had concluded. Family who had traveled from out of town had long since packed their cars with bags of foil-covered leftovers. They would be warm reminders of the celebration. My mother was interrupted in the middle of her cleaning regimen by labor pains. Restoring the house to order…