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Prayer, Plain and Simple

The big chair at the end of the Thanksgiving dinner table will be empty this year. My father died a year ago last April. I tell about his story and mine in my book, “The Karma of Jesus.” Yes, I miss him always; I’ll miss him deeply on Thanksgiving. My father loved to tinker in…

For the first time in probably five years, if not more, I am spending Thanksgiving with my family. It is not because I was estranged from them, but more so because the cost of plane tickets deterred me from going. But this year, a way was made for me to be with them and I…

There will be two empty chairs at our Thanksgiving table this year. One I’ll talk about tomorrow. The other will represent our daughter Ellie who graduated from high school last December and two weeks later hopped on a plane for Africa. She’ll spend Thanksgiving in Zimbabwe with her team of young medical workers. Three are…

There’s an old adage that says, “You can choose your friends; you’re stuck with family.” Too true, perhaps. We all long for the ideal, whole and functional family, but too often we’re “stuck” between fractured and turbulent relationships with those who should be closest to us. For this reason family reunion times like Thanksgiving dinner…

The turkey is on the table and everyone is seated. Now what? It’s time to say “Grace.” Okay… Now what? Saying “Grace” before the meal, especially a big and important one like Thanksgiving can be laborious and awkward. The cook has to deliver the goods and feels the pressure to perform; so does the designated-pray-er. That…

Today is the 146th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s delivery of one of the most sublime and enduring political statements in history: The Gettysburg Address. The 16th President stood and spoke simply and directly, in just a few short minutes, framing the meaning of the horrible but decisive Civil War battle at Gettysburg. In his words…

Everyone’s gathered and waiting. The food is hot and on the table. It’s Thankgiving, and dinner time. it’s time to pray and say “Thank you” to the One who has given us life and the means to sustain it. How do we put “Thank you” into words? Most people in America pray privately, though a…

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s…  Psalm 103 Everyone wants the fountain of youth. Supposedly, Ponce de Leon discovered…

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- Who satisfies your desires with good things… “Satisfies…” Really? “With good things…” Is this true? I read this line this morning and my mind flashed to a most unholy…

The holiday season brings with it its fair share of expectation, but sometimes with expectation comes the inability to wait patiently for a thing to happen. Some of us are working toward the respite of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and we say, “I can’t wait to board that plane, train or automobile to see my family and friends.”…
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