The Christmas season is ripe for disappointment. For kids—there’s weeks of anticipation that may end in either getting the gift they wanted (but soon not enjoying it as much as they had hoped) or in getting socks (again). For adults, the disappointments often cut deeper: conflict with extended family, stress related to differing expectations, or facing empty chairs around the table. We may also...
What is it that makes Norman Rockwell’s famous illustration Freedom from Want (also known as The Thanksgiving Picture) so engaging? It’s not that we can almost smell the roasted turkey in the picture, although that is true. Even more inviting than the food is the warmth we feel when we look at the happy faces of three generations of family members gathered for the Thanksgiving meal. It’s the...
I look forward to the fall season every year. So many of my favorite things take place this time of year—changing leaves, cooler temperatures, flannel, college football, and, of course, Thanksgiving. Each Thanksgiving, around thirty family members gather at my parents’ house in East Tennessee for a night of feasting, catching up, and reminiscing. Everyone has specific Thanksgiving dishes...
God has entrusted you with a precious stewardship of children in your church. For many years, these children grow up in your church community, listen to sermons, participate in Sunday school classes, and frolic through VBS. Are you doing the best you can for these kids? What does faithfulness look like in children’s ministry? Consider ten questions about building a healthy children’s ministry...
Cultures are built upon conventional wisdom formed by accepted values, shared beliefs, common practices, and prevailing goals. Different places in different times in history had distinct cultures that guided life on a day-to-day basis. As I have traveled, it is very apparent that there are differing values and practices than I was accustomed to growing up in the southeastern portion of the United...
