A tragedy such as that in Newtown, Connecticut is beyond comprehension. It’s impossible to process such a horrendous scene. Impossible to understand the motives. Impossible to fully feel the pain and loss of the families or the shock and trauma to the community. I don’t know that the senseless tragedy could be any worse than…

Joy, Peace, and Good Will are common greetings of the Christmas season. Indeed, they are probably at the heart of what most people seek during Christmas. And, I’d venture to say that we usually experience them during Christmas more than any other time of year. The expectation of joy, peace, and good will at Christmas…

According to a Foxnews.com story, Cottondale Elementary School in Jackson County Florida is displaying their nativity scene on the lawn, just as they’ve done for years. But this year, it’s different. A snowman is lying in the manger. Baby Jesus is stored away in the closet. As you might guess, their decision to put Baby…

Our family celebrates Thanksgiving for a week. First our children join us for several days, and then we joined the larger family for the remainder of the week. This year, dynamics of the gathering were impacted by caring for Dad, who fell down a flight of steps almost two months ago. We cut our family…

The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621 to thank God for bringing them safely to the New World. After that, individual colonies and states frequently declared days to be set aside to celebrate and express gratefulness for particular things. In 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of “Thanksgiving…

Thanksgiving and Christmas are upon us, the season of family, celebration, and joy. It’s also a time of great stress because of busy schedules and tight budgets. When relationships aren’t healthy, disharmony frequently erupts during times of stress, destroying dreams of family fun. Even if relationships are solid, family tension builds as a direct result…

Anyone who has struggled with anger can tell you that they don’t want to manage their anger. Instead, they want resolution. They want to get rid of it. They’ve found that anger management doesn’t work. Indeed, that’s what God wants too. He tells us “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander…

Robert and I are caregivers for his 90-year-old father. As I mentioned last week, on October 10, he fell backwards all the way down a flight of steps. Fortunately, he didn’t break anything, but he’s still in the hospital from complications that developed after the fall. Because he was put in rehab and expected to…

When stress and fatigue build, relationships are usually strained too. It seems inevitable. However, this week, I’ve experienced the opposite, and it has been refreshing. On October 12, we returned from a ten-day speaking trip. We were exhausted from time change adjustments, a busy week of speaking, and a thirteen-hour return trip. A day of…

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a little black smudge on the wall, food on your shirt, or fingerprints on the window, once you see an imperfection, it’s hard not to notice it any time you look in that direction. Our eyes tend to focus on any imperfection. It’s the same way with the people around…