Have you put up your Christmas lights yet?  Adorning our trees and houses with lights is just one of the many traditions that help us celebrate the holidays but do we do it just because it is festive or is there another reason.

This month we have focused on being thankful. In my blog two weeks ago we focused on being thankful for our possessions and last week we thought about how thankful we are for the people in our lives. This week we will look at being thankful for our position.

Last week we looked at being grateful for what we have this week we are going to thing about who we have. We have to start with our family. The Bible talks a lot about looking back on where we come from and being remembering our heritage. I realize that everyone reading this may not have come from a good family background, but hopefully, you can be thankful that your parents gave you life and there were members of your family that are dear to you. As Christians, we can go back to our Biblical ancestors and be thankful for how they walked with God to be our example.

It’s Thanksgiving time again. I know it is a couple of weeks away, but it’s never too early to count our blessings. This week let’s be thankful for our material blessings. We live in a “give me more” generation, but we have already been so richly blessed and need to be thankful for God’s provision.

Most of us have served the caregiver role at one time or another even if it was just short term during an illness or after a surgery. But for many, this becomes a new normal, when a devastating life changer or aging progression happens.

Have you ever been preparing for a trip and after looking at the directions thought that there has to be a better way than this or planning event and know that there has to be a more productive way to accomplish your goal? That is what we will be thinking about today not just a better way but a more excellent way.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Character is like a tree and reputation is like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Next week, Oct 15-21, is National Character Counts week. The third week of October has been proclaimed by our president and for the last 24 years as the week to emphasize character. I am not advocating or condemn this program in our educational system but, the idea of character has been around a lot longer than this program.

Are you listening? This question is usually asked when we can tell that we don’t have someone’s full attention. I’m sure we have all been asked this question, as well. We usually know the basic topic of conversation, but we have either zoned out or are busy trying to do something else while someone is talking to us.

It’s officially fall. In my town, it has been in the 90’s all week, so it doesn’t feel like fall. There is not a lot of visual evidence that fall is coming, but I know the seasons will change. Soon, we will enjoy the cooler weather and see all the beauty of the changing leaves. But, if I go on just what I feel and see today then I might believe that we are going to be stuck in this hot, uncomfortable situation forever.

I have had to make a couple of trips to the optometrist lately, and I’ve been reminded of the importance of vision. If our vision is as it should be, it is one of those things that we tend to take for granted. But if our vision is blurred it is hard to ignore. I wish it were the same with our spiritual vision.

While attending college, a speech class was required as a part of my minor. The subject might not have been my preference, but the teacher certainly was one of my favorites. She was a delightful little lady named Ruby Krider. Mrs. Ruby could have retired years before but was still there simply for the love of teaching. When we would get up to give our speeches, one of her most memorable bits of advice was, “Act enthusiastic and you’ll be enthusiastic.”

My daughter just started her second year of college. She explained to me that part of her coursework would be four book reports. These book reports are different than what I remember from my school days. I recall reading the book, summarizing it and giving my views on the book.

There are so many lessons packed into the four chapters of the Book of Ruth, and not a verse is wasted. When we talk about Ruth, we often focus on her friendship and sacrificial love for her mother-in-law Naomi. But, there is another character in this jam-packed book that is often overlooked.