“On the calendar, Halloween always falls on October 31. But we Christians are often confused about which cultural moment we’re currently in: Are we back in the era where we condemn the day as an evil, pagan practice? Or are we in the stage where it’s seen as (mostly) harmless fun?” - TGC
“’My mother,’ Washington wrote, ‘…explained to us what it all meant, that this was the day for which she had been so long praying but fearing that she would never live to see.’” - TGC
“Wouldn’t it be great if children growing up in Christian homes looked forward to additional God-centered holidays…. I like Richard’s idea of a ‘Looking Forward Day,’ as in “looking forward to a new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home” (2 Peter 3:13).” - Randy Alcorn
The holidays are over once again. And, for all that I did to try to hold on to it, the last week of the year has escaped me, as well.
I love the holidays, and I’ve written much about them in the past. I’ve especially shared my thoughts in previous columns about the importance of using the closing days of the year to plan for the months ahead. I have also described my intention to spend the first eight months of the year, in essence, preparing for the last four.
“How do we navigate this terrain? ….framing the topic through before, during, and after scenarios might ease the burden of our endeavor.” - Desiring God
“I learned how to mourn when my mom lost her mind, and then her life, to dementia.” - CToday
“Thanksgiving is the most popular and well-known holiday in the country, topping Christmas and other festive days on the popularity list.” - Lifeway
“One of the most significant findings in psychology in the past twenty years is that individuals can choose the way they think. This corresponds with Scripture, which tells us we are to ‘be transformed by the renewing of [our] minds’ ” - Randy Alcorn
Another Easter season has come and gone. It’s Easter Monday (yes, that’s really a thing) as I write this, and I thought it might be a good time to share a few thoughts about the meaning and significance of the season, as I understand it.
These ideas really crystallized in my mind as I was driving home from a ministry appointment on Good Friday afternoon, searching for something meaningful to listen to on the radio—yes, even Christian radio—as the traffic raced past me. How many of these people, I wondered as I watched the cars, even know that today is Good Friday? More importantly—how many people in our churches remember that it is Good Friday?
“Churches observing St. Stephen’s Day retain the charitable roots of December 26.” - CToday
