Let me begin by saying, “I think the word piety gets a bad rap. For many of us, piety has a negative connotation.” Let’s clear the air. Before saying what piety is, let’s say what piety is not. It is NOT following a list of rules, outdoing our neighbors through acts of service or separating...
Luke 23:44-49 During his time on earth, Jesus gave many examples of prayer, which are recorded in the Gospels. Jesus’s final words before he gave up his spirit are familiar to many of us. We meditate on them in our Lenten devotionals, and we hear them read aloud on Good Friday or Easter...
(How to Navigate Grief During the Holidays) The holidays can be grueling when we are navigating a world of grief. The season’s sights and sounds serve as painful reminders of our loss and subsequent suffering. Our Christmas memories turn bittersweet in the wake of our tears, and our resolve to...
As October draws to a close and we turn our attention toward Thanksgiving, we are faced with myriad questions. Do we want a fifteen-pound turkey or Cornish hens? Should we make cornbread or oyster dressing? Will our guests prefer to eat in the formal dining room or have a more casual gathering...
Many of us remember the twinkle in Art Linkletter’s eye every time he said, “Kids say the darndest things.” Have you ever wondered what Mr. Linkletter meant by the word darndest? If your grandchildren are anything like ours, darndest covers a plethora of adjectives including silly, hysterical,...
What is Grandparents’ Day of Prayer? Several years ago, the prayer ministry of Christian Grandparenting Network (CGN) saw the urgency to establish a day for grandparents to unite in prayer. Under the leadership of Lillian Penner, the second Sunday of September was named Grandparents’ Day of...
My grandson and I stood on the sidewalk, watching and waving as the horse-drawn carriage pulled away from the curb and into the line of traffic. Our hands were sticky from the ice cream cone we shared moments earlier. We continued waving while the carriage, filled with passengers, none of whom we...
A farmer trudges through the field with his muck boots squishing through puddles left by an early spring rain. He grips a hoe in one hand; a pouch heavy with seeds is slung over his shoulder. Every movement he makes is intentional. He stoops to dig four troughs, two or three inches deep, and...
My mom’s hands were marked by age. The skin on the back of her hands were thin, like a fine parchment with age spots scattered haphazardly among a network of prominent veins. Her finger joints, especially her thumbs, were swollen and arthritic. Her palms, resembling the roads on a city map, were...
It was August, 1979, the middle of hurricane season, and Hurricane David was sweeping its way through the Lesser Antilles. I sat inside my dormitory room in Charleston, South Carolina, frantically flipping the pages of my calculus book, unaware of the storm. A set of problems due at the end of the...
Have you noticed how the world continues to encroach upon Thanksgiving? Every year, the “holy” part of this holiday is being chiseled away and replaced by shopping, football and our anticipation for Christmas. Make no mistake, there is nothing wrong with enjoying a great college or professional...
“Grandma, don’t leave me,” my two-year-old granddaughter wailed.I started the car engine, ignoring my inclination to rush back into the house. Instead, I blew her one last kiss and pulled from the driveway. What kind of grandmother could leave her granddaughter under these circumstances? The...
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