Are you a pleasing aroma or a foul odor? Last Sunday Pastor Phil once again made an off-the-cuff remark that got my imagination going. In his sermon, he mentioned that Pastor Matt had sent out an email inviting us to service in the church. He said that Pastor Matt’s email was “my odor.” After repeating …
From Worship Experiences
Deluge Doesn’t Stop Worship At Lewis Center
Did you notice the deluge on Mother’s Day? We got over an inch of rain in a very short time in the morning. Unfortunately it was around 11 a.m., which is the time of the outdoor worship service at Lewis Center United Methodist Church. Tom and I have been attending this service every Sunday and …
Strange Stories in the Bible
Last Sunday, Pastor Phil Rode started his sermon by talking about some of the strange stories in the Bible. He mentioned lots of difficult and strange stories that we often skip over in our efforts to understand the Bible. We tend to disregard anything that doesn’t fit our interpretation of facts or events. Here are …
Online Auction to Benefit Wedgewood UMC
Wedgewood United Methodist Church is having an online auction with the proceeds going to the Building Fund. I’ve never asked for money on my blog, but I feel responsible for the Building Fund at Wedgewood. I was the pastor there when we decided to build the 1.1 million dollar addition and incurred the huge, expensive …
Irrational Covid Fears Challenge Us All
I read an article in the New York Times this morning that talked about irrational Covid-19 fears. Tom and I are fully vaccinated and have been for three weeks. John and Jackie are getting their second shots today. Mom and Dad and my siblings have all had shots #1 and #2. You would think we …
Recognize Jesus in Life and Death
One of my favorite pastor jokes is the following: A pastor was doing the children’s sermon one Sunday. She asked the children, “What is brown with fur, has a long bushy tail, and collects nuts?” The children were quiet for a moment and then one little boy spoke up, “I know the answer is supposed …
Remodeling Our Hearts According to God
As I write this post, there is a regular, jarring “whomp, whomp, whomp” going on behind me. We are remodeling our bathroom and the demo guy is taking out the tile cemented to the floor. In order to do that, he has to break them into small pieces that (hopefully) come loose enough for him …
Christian Witness Too Subtle
I am very concerned about my Christian witness and I have always been. Can people around me tell that I am a Christian? Am I sharing Christ’s love and helping people see Jesus as I go about my daily life? My Christian witness has never been “preaching on the street corners” bold. I’m too much …
Palm Sunday Outdoor Worship
Last year on Palm Sunday all the churches were closed because of the pandemic. This year things are still different – some churches are closed and some are fully open and many are trying something in between – but things are getting closer to normal. Although Tom and I are not yet fully vaccinated, we …
Centrifugal or Centripetal: The Proper Place of Center
Did you ever experience centrifugal force by playing on a playground merry-go-round when you were a child? I remember delighting in pushing the merry-go-round so fast that kids would go flying off the edges. Of course it was dangerous and sometimes kids got hurt, but that was part of the fun. If you stayed in …