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 …
From Worship Experiences
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 …
Continuation of Christian Faith Depends on You!
What if the continuation of the Christian faith depended on you? I’ve been pondering this question lately. I’m sure you’ve heard the old version – “If you were in court, accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” I’m pretty sure, for me, the verdict would be guilty. There would …
Invitation to Pilgrimage by John Baillie
As part of my morning devotions, I recently read the short book, “Invitation to Pilgrimage” by John Baillie. John Baillie’s book “A Diary of Private Prayer” is one of my favorite devotional books and I read it frequently. The language in both books is beautiful and they are very thought-provoking. John Baillie was a Scottish …
Tzedakah and the Jewish Tradition of Giving
In a sermon before Christmas, Rev. Karen Graham introduced me to the concept of Tzedakah. I had never heard of the term and misspelled it until I looked it up. Tzedakah is related to the Hebrew word for justice. In the Jewish tradition, giving to the poor is a form of social justice. The website …
Snow Piles Eventually Melt
There are snow piles everywhere and they keep getting higher and higher. I am not a fan of winter. I don’t like being cold and when it is cold outside I eat too much and stay inside too much. Ever since Tom and I retired, we have been spending the winters someplace warm. Until, of …
Comedy, Tragedy, and the Life Everlasting
I recently stumbled on a website that had 23 funny tombstones. Unlike the made-up kind, these were things that people had actually carved on tombstones. They were pretty funny. They reminded me of my favorite tombstone, Ruth Graham’s grave: “End of Construction. Thank you for your patience.” I admire people who are so bold. Most …
Reading Scripture in New Ways
I am always looking for new ways of reading scripture. I love to read the Bible and have read the whole thing many times. But sometimes it starts sounding all the same. Read that, remember that, boring! The Bible is anything but boring and I want to be sure I’m reading it with attention and …
Flock of Robins Caring for Each Other
The other day I was walking the loop trail in Char-Mar Ridge Park and saw a flock of robins. There were about 60 of them on the ground and in the trees. I couldn’t remember ever seeing so many robins at one time. Later Tom and I googled the behavior of robins. Robins are somewhat …