For decades, my mother, Judy Ross, has made the best Thanksgiving feast on the planet.

I’m talking about a mammoth spread of turkey, chicken and dressing, ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce and steaming hot rolls — plus carrot cake, chocolate pie and other homemade desserts that fill an entire table.

Amazingly, this big meal comes only a few hours after a “light” holiday breakfast that always includes fried and scrambled eggs, biscuits and gravy, sausage, bacon and pancakes with chocolate syrup.

What am I thankful for? Well, for one thing, that I’ve never suffered a heart attack after all that I eat on this particular day. But seriously, I’m grateful for Mom — a kind, loving Christian woman who has spent her entire life serving other people.

Even before a recent mishap, Thanksgiving was shaping up to be a different experience for the extended Ross family in this crazy year. With concerns about big indoor gatherings contributing to the spread of COVID-19, crowding all the brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandbabies and great-grandbabies into Mom and Dad’s home seemed unwise.

But then my iPhone buzzed on a recent Monday morning, and my sister Christy Fichter’s face flashed on the screen. Read the full story.

Power Up: The Week’s Best Reads

1. Madison Cawthorn arrives in Washington: This is a fascinating interview with a controversial 25-year-old Republican congressman-elect from western North Carolina.

The piece by the Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel contains a whole lot of juicy religious details, such as Cawthorn — a nondenominational Christian who comes from a family of “true frickin’ believers” — talking about his desire to convert Muslims and Jews.

Read more on that angle from GetReligion’s Terry Mattingly.

2. The evangelical reckoning begins: As the Election 2020 post-op continues, The Atlantic’s Emma Green ponders with megachurch pastor Andy Stanley how to pursue faith over politics.

Writing for Religion Unplugged, Julia Duin delves into the charismatic Christians “prophesying Trump’s victory (and not backing down),” while The Tennessean’s Holly Meyer explores whether religious leaders can help repair post-election divisions after Joe Biden’s victory.

And Religion News Service’s Bob Smietana reports that despite Trump’s defeat in the Nov. 3 election, his evangelical fans have few regrets. For bonus coverage from Smietana, see his report on “Shane Vaughn, Mississippi pastor and star of viral ‘if Trump does not concede’ video.”

3. 127-year-old church finally gets its steeple, thanks to great-grandson of founder: Amid a global pandemic and national political discord, I love it when I come across a heartwarming story like this.

Boyd Hubbert of KARE 11 TV in Minneapolis does an excellent job with this sweet tale from an old country church in Detroit Lakes, Minn.

CONTINUE READING: “In A Crazy Year, A Reason To Give Thanks — Plus The Week's Top Religion Reads” by Bobby Ross, Jr., at Religion Unplugged.