“This is my story, my giving of thanks.” So begins Wendell Berry’s 2004 novel Hannah Coulter, narrated by the titular character, a 79-year-old woman recounting her life’s story. It is a work of thanksgiving, and it is a work about thanksgiving—how it is practiced, how it is learned, and what happens when it gives way to restless longing for “a...

　　Thanksgiving is unique among American holidays because it’s not simply political, like Independence Day, which belongs only to Americans, nor simply a religious celebration shared among all Christians, like Christmas or Easter. It’s a mix of the two, but it is also more emphatically than others a family celebration. It is legally established, part of our political institutions, but it...

　　Avoiding Toxic Talk at Thanksgiving 　　By Vivian Bricker 　　Bible Reading 　　“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). 　　Thanksgiving is known to be a holiday where food is a major theme. We meet together with...

　　For years, Republicans have vowed to focus on the biggest issue plaguing the United States: our federal debt. Now, in the wake of their victory earlier this month, they have a chance to make good on those promises. 　　One step that has already been announced is that Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will head up a new “government efficiency commission”...

　　BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY:“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.” -Colossians 3:15 　　3 Ways to Be Thankful Through the Holidays 　　By Lynette Kittle 　　Especially during the holidays, it’s easy for a heart of thankfulness to fade.And as with most things in life, it’s...

　　The plot of Fritz Lang’s enigmatic 1927 silent film Metropolis revolves around a group of powerful elites determined to maintain their hold over the masses. To do so, they set out to invent artificial crises with the intention to set the everyday folk against each other and thus distract them from the real crisis of the elite’s inordinate and corrupt...

　　Why Your In-Laws Shouldn't Be Your Biggest Enemies 　　By: Vivian Bricker 　　A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34). 　　It is very common for married couples to dislike their in-laws.This is a trendI have seen too often and it makes me feel pretty bad, to be...

　　The Russian Revolution unfolded in such an astonishing and immensely complex series of events that it is difficult to grasp what really happened. This is why Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, in his work of dramatized history, The Red Wheel, tried to capture the truth and meaning of the Revolution by exploring certain nodal points, or short periods of time, that give us...

　　Growing in Gratitude for Gifts from Above 　　By Whitney Hopler 　　Bible Reading 　　“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” – James 1:17, NIV 　　A recent solar storm made it possible to see the northern lights in locations much farther south than where they...

　　Giving Thanks for the Hidden Refuge 　　By Sarah Frazer 　　Bible Reading 　　“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High 　　will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1 (ESV) 　　Saying “thank you” is a polite and often expected response when someone does something nice to us. Whenever a friend makes a meal, or shows up after a...

　　There’s a case to be made against the Supreme Court’s landmark 1964 decision in New York Times v. Sullivan, and Carson Holloway makes it. Sullivan, despite a bit of handwaving in the majority opinion, represented a drastic departure from previous law, one without any particular warrant in the Constitution. It was, in effect, a subsidy to the mass media, allowing...

　　The policies of the incoming administration with regard to the federal role in education, despite a great deal of fearmongering during the election season, have not yet taken shape. Though the administration nominated Linda McMahon for Secretary of Education this week, the administrations priorities in education are being assessed on the basis of statements made by candidates during the election....