With Thanksgiving approaching I began to reflect on what it means to be grateful. Pastor/Preacher Fred Craddock says that the final act of God in one’s life is to make us both grateful and gracious. As I reflected on that statement I began to wonder, “Who are some of the most grateful and gracious people that I know?” I thought of a number of people, but near the top of my list has to be Romy Merchant. He’s often said to me, “I’m so grateful for what the Lord has done for me.” Recently I sat down with Romy to ask how he lives a life of gratefulness.

One of the most often asked questions I get is, “How do I know God’s will for my life?” When we face a big decision, we’d like to know that God is leading us and will speak to us.

Bruce Lewis has been cutting my hair for the better part of 20 years. I look forward to my monthly trip to Bruce’s barber shop because of the stories. Bruce has a gift for storytelling. On my last visit he told me the story of a friend of his that recently passed away, his name was Bernard.

The past few months have been a difficult and emotional time for all of us. This is especially true for Sissy and Sherwood Dance. They received the joyful news last fall that they would become grandparents this spring. Their daughter Mary and her husband Stephen were expecting a boy. Mary and Stephen live in Hillsborough, NC.

A couple of years ago I mentioned in a sermon the idea of “going marveling.” What is marveling? I learned it from my favorite pastor, Fred Craddock. He said that when he was a child and was bored his parents would take him on walks and they’d stop to notice things like flowers, birds, or the way a cloud moved across the sky. Marveling is slowing down to pay attention to God’s creation; it’s recapturing a sense of childlike wonder.