At 10:30 on Thanksgiving Day, I am standing in a long line waiting for a box of Thanksgiving. We are not in a restaurant, as you might expect, but in a nondescript building—a VFW hall, Rotary Club hall, or Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall.
Connections 11.26.2023: Grace and Goodness
November 19, 2023 by
It’s Thanksgiving week, which means many of us will gather with some of the people we love best in the world, and we’ll eat amazing favorite foods, and we’ll share the things we’re grateful for, and we’ll celebrate the beginning of the Christmas season.
Flame: Boxes Prayer Game
November 9, 2022 by
Children love this game and may well be familiar with it, but here’s a twist that adds prayer to the mix. Draw some dots in lines and columns on the paper (see below). I used 10 rows of 7 dots.
Crossroads: Thanksgiving
November 22, 2021 by
This is a time when families gather together around a table filled with food, and remember all of the things for which they are thankful. Some years it’s easy to remember the blessings you’ve been given. But other years, it seems as if nothing has gone right.
Formations 11.21.2021: Giving Thanks by Giving Back
November 14, 2021 by
Today’s passage describes a ritual of thanksgiving that the Israelites are to perform once they have entered the promised land. They are to bring the first fruits of their harvest to the priest.
Crossroads: Thanksgiving
November 25, 2019 by
It can be easy to forget our blessings. During moments of pain, anger, or sadness, it can be easy to forget all the good things we have.
The Need to Be Grateful
November 22, 2017 by
Did you know that our brains have a negativity bias? According to recent neuroscience research, the human brain gathers strength around fearful, negative, or problematic situations. This tendency means that we must intentionally savor any loving, positive, or unproblematic event for at least 15 seconds to offset the negative.
A View from the Pew: Thanksgiving, Advent, and Missions
November 22, 2016 by
It’s a season for thanksgiving and anticipation, but I have a confession to make: celebrating abundance and extending a call to give at the same time feels incongruent. I have mixed emotions, and it’s hard for me to sort it all out.
Uniform 12.06.2015: A True Sabbath
November 29, 2015 by
Before you read further, stop and name everything on your to-do list—all the little everyday concerns that add up to create a relatively smooth life for you and those in your care.
A View from the Pew: 7 Reasons I’m Thankful for My Church
November 25, 2015 by
Though retailers would rather this time of year be known as “Christmas Shopping Season,” the American holiday of Thanksgiving is worth our time and energy as its own distinct observance.
Breaking Things
November 26, 2014 by
I am not terribly clumsy and yet I have a way of breaking things. Now, I am not the artist that my cousin Stan was. When we were boys, I dreaded when Stan, who was a few years younger than I, came to our house because he would want to play with my toys and any toy that Stan touched broke.