In just a few hours, family will file through our front door bearing their famous dishes and desserts. There’ll be cheesy corn casserole, and buttery pecan pie, tangy cranberry relish, and pillow-y mashed potatoes. I can’t wait for everyone to gather around the table with their plates piled high.

We should do this, right? Say Grace? This practice is most often associated with giving thanks before a meal - a simple thank you to God for all of our blessings, for family, for friends, for God's provisions. Especially at Thanksgiving we do this - why?

Several years ago I was on the Weight Watchers diet.  During the weekly meetings the leaders would share tips and encouragement to help us tackle the challenging task of losing weight.

The First Commandment states that we are not to have any God other than the one true God (Exodus 20:3). You may say that you have not violated this commandment for you believe that Jesus Christ is God.  Well, so do the demons and they tremble in fear of Him (James 2:19. Acts 19:15). Do you know Jesus as Lord(1) or do you just know of Him like the demons? Do you show your love for Him by keeping His commandments (John 14:15,21) or do you say He is your Lord, even going to church on Sunday, but live like you are god the rest of the week? (Ezekiel 33:31,32. Luke 6:46) Is your love for Him so great that by comparison you hate (i.e., you are willing to be infinitely separated from) your spouse, children, parents, job, wealth, pleasure, etc. (Luke 14:26) If You Can't Say Amen, Say Oh Me!

Ah, Thanksgiving: the season of warm homes and hearts, as loved ones gather in Rockwellian delight at God's bountiful provision...(at least the commercials show it that way.) If, in your family, the scent of pumpkin pie can't mask the odor of jealousy, or "turkey" somehow segues into a political debate, you're not alone.. For many, holiday drama causes more heartburn than Aunt June's spiced Turducken.

There was a time in my life when watching TV was a part-time job. When the world of daydreams in my head was far more inviting than the real world of pain and limitation of rheumatoid arthritis. Good thing it was in the days before I owned a computer.

The child clings, arms wrapped like ivy around my own. It's time to put him down for sleep, but his whimpers say otherwise. We've been apart all day, and he is clear that he needs more--the smell, the feel, the nearness of mommy. "Don't let me be separated from you yet, Mommy," his actions say. 

For those that don’t know, my wife and I have three kids at home ages 12, 10 and 4. The older two are brother and sister and the youngest is the little brother. The reason I explain it that way is because the older two are more rivals then siblings and then there is this little brother thing that interrupts the older two’s ecosystem and that presents a whole new element of fun that I’ll get into shortly. For the time being let’s go into why this blog is entitled what it is what on Earth that has to do with God or Jesus or anything Kingdom related for that matter.

Some say there are three kinds of wealth, others say seven. But regardless of how we define wealth, we know much of it comes from our non-material blessings. We have so much for which to be thankful, don't we? To remind us that our blessings exceed those of millionaires', we need the life-changing spiritual discipline of chronicling gifts. 

I like to think I am a thankful person, but the truth is that in a country full of blessings we are often not thankful people. I just watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving episode and was struck by how some of the comments resemble our attitudes. 

Torn in two. That's the feeling of several friends currently in what has been called the “sandwich” generation. While continuing to parent their own children, at the same time they are more and more needed to care for aging parents. With a great desire to honor their parents they feel torn between competing priorities. Most often this is complicated by distance and travel.

Ministry is a piece of cake when things are going right.  But sometimes things go wrong, very wrong.  Every leader of children's ministry is a shepherd.  Sometimes we shepherd children and youth, and sometimes we shepherd adults who work with them.  I've been privileged to observe, though from a distance, two of my friends as they shepherd through the storm.  I've learned a lot about caring for wounded sheep.  I've changed the names and some of the details as these are real sheep in a real flock, being shepherded by heroic shepherds.

Our congregation fills hundreds of bags this time of year with groceries to give families so they can enjoy a nice Thanksgiving dinner, complete with a coupon for a turkey. But do these Thanksgiving dinners ultimately help or hurt?This question haunts me during the holidays.

What Does It Truly Mean To Teach?

If learned, they did not, taught, you did not. This is how Bruce Wilkinson may have phrased his Law of the Learner had he chosen to reference Yoda.  One of his maxims is that “Teachers are responsible to cause their students to learn”. Does this surprise you?

Did you know that the same Hebrew word is translated “teach” in Deuteronomy 4:1 and translated “learn” in Deuteronomy 5:1? In other words, biblically, the two ideas are interconnected. Many of today’s teachers have the mindset that “If I dispense the material, it is the student’s responsibility to grasp and master the material”. This mindset is tragically the opposite of a biblical understanding of what it means to teach!

In my small group study this past week, the teacher introduced the phrase "the gift of consequences." I love that description because I have come to trust over the years that everything God gives us, including the consequences of our actions, is good even when it doesn't feel like it. How can the consequences of a bad choice be a gift?

FOMO – ever heard  of it – this new acronym that’s being tossed around in the current sociological conversation? FOMO? Is it a new ecological agency in the administration in Washington? The name for latest hair product, a new insect repellant, a warranty seal on your new air conditioner?

One of our pastors shares a favorite story: a young man in Sweden, while trying to get rid of the watermark on his trial software so he could use it illegally, did some online research that led him to a YouTube film clip from our church (Watermark Community Church) making the case for waiting to have sex before marriage. The twenty-something had never heard of such a thing, and while it sounded crazy to him, he continued to watch more clips, which intrigued him further, and he did more research that led him to the conclusion, "Wait a minute, there's something really different about these people."

My family and I visited a friends church this past Sunday. The scripture passage was Colossians 3-Spiritual Growth. In regard to the lack of spiritual growth and the condition of mankind, the pastor said,

Hey, you know how you don't understand how anybody could be a Christian and belong to THAT political party? I know believers who believe the exact same thing...about your party. Here are 5 do's and don'ts that every believer--regardless of political stance--can follow in this political chaos.

While hurricane Sandy was chugging north off the east coast last Sunday we were headed south, hugging the Appalachian mountains through Virginia then cutting through central North Carolina to our home in Columbia, central South Carolina. Skirting the edge of Sandy’s windfield our experience of the deadly hurricane was limited to overcast skies, winds at 15 miles per hour and passing fleets of utility trucks headed north. On Friday we had spent the day at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, his stately home engraved on the back of every US nickel. One day before Sandy hit and one week before the election Thomas Jefferson’s world and words spoke profoundly to both national events.

“When we start by being too impressed by the results of our work, we slowly come to the erroneous conviction that life is one large scoreboard where someone is listing the points to measure our worth. And before we are fully aware of it, we have sold our soul to the many grade-givers. That means we are not only in the world, but also of the world.

I’m talking today with my friend and fellow Tapestry blogger, Kay Daigle, who recently released the book, From Ordinary Woman to Spiritual Leader: Grow Your Influence.

 What inspired you to write this book?

Twenty some odd years ago the great philosopher Don Henley crooned, “The more I know, the less I understand.  All the things I thought I knew before, I’m learning again.”  In my youth I liked the song but couldn't relate since I understood everything there was to know about everything.  Now the lyrics resonate.

God had promised a son to Abram. At the same time, God prevented conception.

This is the will of God? Go figure.

Now that we are living the networked life, technology opens doors of innovative and unimagined possibilities, but are there ways that technology could diminish us? How should the discipleship process be reshaped in a digital world? It's time for a conversation.

While watching the last two presidential debates, something struck me a little that I thought I would share.  I noticed that in all of the discussions, moral arguments did not play a very big part.  The debates seemed like they were mostly centered on economics, foreign policy and energy.  Why didn’t they hash out more controversial subjects like abortion or prayer in schools or displaying scripture on Government buildings? 

I get giddy over gifts. It doesn’t matter if my husband brings home a hand sanitizer sample from his office or a bouquet of fall mums, his token is sure to make me smile. It doesn’t matter if I get a text from a girlfriend or a handwritten note in the mail, her words make me feel valued.

Able and Willing

            Are you able and willing? In their book How We Learn, a Christian Teacher’s Guide to Educational Psychology authors Klaus Issler and Ronald Habermas discuss the importance of being able and willing. The term “able” is defined by the authors as “whether students are capable of successful participation” while the term “willingness speaks of their motivation.” (Issler and Habermas, 100).

            A few days ago I was in working in a church nursery and, having no other available seating at the time; I sat on a piano bench while the babe snuggled in my lap. That is when he saw it. His eyes fell upon its enticing ivory and black keys. A large grin slowly spread across his face as my brain registered his intention. Tiny hands began banging the ten keys nearest his reach. Two other infants were sleeping nearby; I pulled him away, waiting for the inevitable crying, certain that the tranquil nursery was about to end as the chord rang through the air. One infant was sleeping; the other was awake, watching in wonder.

The last presidential debate ended this week. We will soon go to the polls and we will hopefully move forward, trusting God with the future of our nation. Thanksgiving approaches and soon after, the Christmas rush begins. With the holidays around the corner, folks anticipate their greatest stress — family.

Bunko gatherings, sewing circles, tea parties and crop nights.  What do these activities all have in common?  They are all stereotypes of women’s ministries in churches. And as a woman, I’m hurt by these common misconceptions.