Guest Commentary

The recipe for gratitude is simple. Give thanks to God in prayer; say, “Thank you,” to those who extend grace or favor to you; write thank-you notes; keep a gratitude journal; have a weekly family “Thanksgiving meal” where family members extend thanks to one another; incorporate gratitude—instead of complaints or cynicism—into your daily conversation. We have no shortage of reasons and opportunities to express gratitude to God and others. So be intentional in your pursuit to become a grateful person. It will benefit your Creator, your loved ones, and even yourself.

On both sides of the political spectrum, there's an overwhelming sentiment that what's happening in our elections isn't fair. As we approach the 2022 election, my most consistent prayer is that, when the election is complete, we will have the sense that it was conducted fairly and openly. If we have that, I believe we have a foundation to move forward. Otherwise, we are in a very difficult place.

God is long-suffering. His nature is one of love and mercy. Yet, His Word is indivisible. We disobey Him to our certain devastation. We can turn to God in repentance and faith. Now is the time to pray for an outpouring of the Spirit of revival in Christian communities throughout the West. Today is the day for believers, and pastors, in particular, to speak the truth to our generation: If you deny the reality of God, you will soon deny reality.

It happened in 2005 with Hurricane Katrina. It happened in 2011 with the tornado "Super Outbreak". And now we're watching it happen in Texas with Hurricane Harvey. With each natural disaster that has ravaged America's communities, believers and nonbelievers alike have been left asking, "Why, God?".

In the aftermath of disaster and doubt, here are 5 powerful things Beth Ann Baus invites us to remember:

If you have difficulty understanding this great love that God has for you, turn to Isaiah 55:8-9, where we are reminded that our thought processes and God’s are not the same. His are far superior to ours, and we can trust in His knowledge, goodness, and plan for our lives. In the eternal scheme of God’s plans, it would be easy to assume that we don’t matter, but we do. God’s thoughts and ways are not like our thoughts and ways—the great and small matter equally to God.

I believe it is our collective responsibility to honor the lives of our superheroes and the families that bear sacrificial suffering. We will then remember our superheroes would have given their lives even if for just one. One day, you or I may be that one.

News this week in Israel included the death of two Arab journalists, in different locations, under different circumstances, and unrelated. But the circumstances, accusations and double standards are glaring and need to be discussed. This week, months after Palestinian Arab-American Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu-Akleh was killed in Jenin, following a lengthy investigation, Israel has affirmed that she was likely killed by an Israeli bullet.

Pope Francis’ recent apologies to Canada’s First Nations was a good start to correcting the egregious wrongs done to many indigenous peoples in the name of “Christian mission.” Now, other Christians should follow suit.

J.R.R. Tolkien is easily the best-known fantasy author of the last 100 years. If you haven’t read The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings or seen the various films based on those stories, you almost certainly know at least one person familiar with them.

There’s no need to fight a culture war if your worldview is in the ascendency. Christians in the Middle Ages didn’t go on crusades to lands full of churches. Upper-class men didn’t fight for the right to vote because they already had it. So why does it feel like, in every sphere of society right now, a culture war is being fought by both sides? Why does literally everyone feel as if they are the victim?