Anne Fishel is a co-founder of the Family Dinner Project, a professor at Harvard Medical School and the author of “Home for Dinner.” Each year, more than 9 in 10 Americans gather around the table with family and friends for Thanksgiving. But only 50 percent of us eat with our family on a regular basis. That’s too bad. Twenty years of research has shown that family dinners are great for the brain (enhancing preschool vocabulary and raising test scores), body (improving cardiovascular health in teens and lowering the odds... Read more

Lisa Sharon Harper, and a white angel Christmas: After a full day of work I went to Union Station to run errands. I stopped in the Christmas store to buy a gift for my niece. They had a wall full of beautiful ballerina angel ornaments. None of the adult ones I wanted were black. I asked the store manager for help. “Excuse me, ma’am,” I said, “do you carry black ballerinas?” “I’m sorry, we don’t,” she said. I explained, “I... Read more

By John Frye. Beheaded. Not a pleasant word; not a pleasant reality. It is barbaric in the minds of most, if not all of us. Yet, the word has worked its way into news headlines as Middle Eastern terrorists stalk the planet with a view to world-wide domination. The Roman Empire’s crude means of execution by crucifixion is also making a comeback. That it is reported that Iraqi, Kurdish, and Syrian Christians are dying by these resurrected methods should not... Read more

By David Roseberry, pastor at Christ Church Plano. The week of Thanksgiving is one of the few times of the year I find relief from a sickness I have. I have CCS.  Chronic Critique Syndrome. I have had it most of my life. I remember noticing it early on after my call to the ministry in 1978. Well, to be honest, I had it in high school before that. Well, to be really honest, I can’t remember a time when I... Read more

Rachel Feltman: And finally, everyone’s favorite Thanksgiving feast side effect: snoozing. You might think that your post-turkey nap is caused by the bird itself, but this is actually just a myth. It’s true that turkey meat contains tryptophan, an amino acid that the body uses to produce serotonin — a neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep. But so do other foods. Cheddar cheese actually has more tryptophan than turkey does, and you don’t conk out every time you eat grilled cheese (I hope).... Read more

Kris and I say to one and all, Happy Thanksgiving! Almighty and gracious Father, We give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the... Read more

AP: By ROB GILLIES, Associated Press Nov. 24, 2015 12:02 AM ET TORONTO (AP) — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will announce Tuesday his plan to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees and he says all 10 of Canada’s provincial premiers support bringing that many in. Trudeau hasn’t backed down from a pledge to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by Dec. 31 despite pushback by some following the deadly attacks in Paris. Details of how the refugees will be brought over and where they... Read more

It doesn’t feel like Christmas until someone gets pepper sprayed at Target. -Jon Stewart I am tired of the War on Christmas.  It is my least favorite holiday tradition.  I think it has become one of the more polarizing parts of our culture and, frankly, not that helpful for anyone.  So I have a modest proposal – instead of fighting to keep Christ in Christmas what if we fought to keep the Friday in Black Friday? I remember when the... Read more