Dear Friends, For the past month we have been steeped in our fall theme of Connect ~ Grow ~ Serve. First, we focused on how worship and prayer connect us to God and to one another. Last week we talked about growing in faith and this...
The Pentecost story often interests children, but can be difficult for them to follow as presented in Acts 2. The opening events of verses 1-4 (especially in the NRSV) catch children's attention. But the long list of unfamiliar ethnic groups (vss. 8-11) can distract them...
I woke up on Monday in a near-total panic. The voice in my head was screeching at triple-fortissimo, “Oh my heavens, it’s December and I have no idea what I’m preaching on Sunday, much less what my theme for Advent is.” [Editor’s note: some people...
Control. I like to be in control. Or, I at least like the illusion of control, because that’s what control is—an illusion. This love affair with control is one of the major areas in which my faith most convicts and challenges me. It’s a good process,...
Did you ever run away as a kid? How far did you get before a parent or neighbor or sibling discovered your hiding place, or your cache of peanut butter sandwiches and cookies ran out and hunger drove you back to your mother’s well-stocked pantry? ...
As I sit at my desk writing and working this morning, I hear our church organist in the background practicing for Sunday’s Easter service. If you can’t be inspired by the strains of Jesus Christ Is Risen Today, Thine Is the Glory, and The Hallelujah...
As is the case for every minister I know, long before the Thanksgiving turkey goes in the oven we are already thinking about Advent. This is especially true when the first Sunday of Advent falls on Thanksgiving weekend, as it does this year. It sometimes...
This Sunday my church, along with many other churches around the country and around the world, will mark the 499th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. October 31, 1517 is the date we Protestants commemorate Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses to the door of the...
Is there anything more enigmatic in all the world than prayer? Prayer is a core practice for people of faith whether they adhere to Christianity, Judaism or Islam. I can only speak for my own faith tradition and my own personal experiences in prayer, of...
How do you handle difficult people? Difficult people are a fact of life. There is no escaping the reality that some people pose ongoing challenges for us, and those challenges can come in a variety of forms. There are the constant complainers or whiners; the malignant...