The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving

things God has done throughout history; let us sacrifice our own feeble attempts to maintain our independence and sense of control, and let us make that sacrifice active in the way we serve and love those around us.
things God has done throughout history; let us sacrifice our own feeble attempts to maintain our independence and sense of control, and let us make that sacrifice active in the way we serve and love those around us.
A common theme in Christian education circles is the pursuit of “Truth, Goodness and Beauty.” And perhaps it is appropriate that we begin a discussion about education with the pursuit of “truth.” But is that really where God starts with us? We are reminded repeatedly in scripture (1 Chronicles 16:29, 2 Chronicles 20:21, Psalm 29:2, Psalm 96:9) that we should, “worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” Jesus also encourages us to come to
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. --John 21:3-4 This past March 12, my 20-year old son, who plays lacrosse in college, called me out of the blue. “Dad,” he
This week we mark the 242nd anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. From every waterslide, let freedom ring! In addition to water sports, we will be celebrating fireworks, hot dogs, ice cream, BBQ, patriotic politicians and red-white-and-blue. And in the midst of all of this celebration, it is easy to forget to remember what it is all about. The children of Israel could certainly identify! God repeatedly reminded them to remember what
Today is the 5th of July. I hope your celebration of the 4th included ice cream, hot dogs, swimming pools, fireworks and many other common ways we celebrate “Independence Day.” But as we celebrated yesterday, I also noticed that our culture seems far more focused on the three-day weekend celebration than on the liberties we often take for granted. If Rip Van Winkle were to awake again two centuries after his “brief” two-decade nap, what
As I write this we are approaching the second Sunday of Advent according to the church calendar. I have not always thought of the yearly cycle in these terms. I grew up in a secular household that relegated religion to holidays characterized mostly by Santa and the Easter Bunny. Even after responding consciously to God's call on my life as an adult, I continued for some time to order my life around the secular calendar.