Traditionally we pause as we approach year’s end and review all the events that have impacted on our lives. We have met different people and said good-bye to some old friends; at times we have rejoiced, while at other times we have sorrowed; we have
“You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.” — Luke 15:16 “How do you know right from wrong?” the woman on the phone implored frantically. It was 1995 and I had answered the phone at the television station where I
“Here I am — this is me in my nakedness, with my wounds, my secret grief, my despair, my betrayal, my pain, which I can’t express, my terror, my abandonment. Oh, listen to me for a day, an hour, a moment, lest I expire in
…gratitude is a form of intercession. Only it must not be like the gratitude of the Pharisee, who condemned others and justified himself (cf. Luke 18:11). On the contrary, it must make one regard oneself as a greater debtor than all [others]; one gives thanks
“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 I live in Montgomery County, Maryland. It was here that the “Suburban Snipers” started their amazing reign of terror Oct. 2. The police have arrested two people, one a 17-year-old boy, in
Don’t let the second part of this title shock you! I am a firm believer in the power of prayer, but I was mulling over in my mind the topic of gratitude, and I feel that while it is always good to give thanks for
On Sept. 18, 2001, on the third anniversary of my mother’s death, a week after terrorists had taken some of my friends from this earth, I remembered that a few months before, I had done a day’s work at a Fortune 500 company on the
This issue on gratitude is very special to me because I’m able to bring forth one of my favorite Scriptures that is loaded with love, grace, and mercy that God has shown to us. God is serious about bringing reconciliation to us. He had planned
I was “raised in the church” and as a child reveled in the type of religious community where everyone knew your name, adults looked out for you, and everyone praised your academic and social progress. My schoolteachers, my barber, my mentors and friends of my
In October 1996, I was attending Berea College, a small, private college in central Kentucky. I was also dating a girl I had met on campus. Her name was Jessie and she is still one of my best friends (even today). I was a different