Today, might be the first the Sunday of Advent, but the decorating and preparing for the event of Christmas has begun! In our house, fresh eyes saw the decorations anew as the train set came out. Hours upon hours have already been spent transporting countless Nativity people, Paw Patrol pups, and firetrucks from point A…
In 2017, together Bill and Melinda Gates have a net worth of approximately 89 billion dollars. They have contributed technology to the world that shapes many of our day to day lives, and also they been have been working to eradicate malaria and polio from the world in sustainable and incredible ways. I stand amazed…
Our journey through Genesis continues. Origin stories continue. How we become who we become are wrapped into these stories. These stories are our stories. We are at once the willing Abrams and Saris who will go wherever God sends us as well as the brothers of Joseph’s annoyed at his self-righteousness. These are our stories…
In the church calendar, All Saints Day stands alone as a festival recognition of those who have gone before us and the theological hope we have. Today, having remembered each one at the time of death, we look forward with hope to their eternal lives in the presence of God. On this day, we too,…
We tend to think of blessings as rainbows and unicorns. We think of blessings as healthy births and pleasant exchanges. We want to think of blessings with pleasing arrivals and lovely moments. Perhaps, we need to reconsider the biblical connection to blessings. Blessing is more than the expression of gratitude. To say that God has…
I knew her for about 6 months, Elaine. She walked into the church on the day of Felicity’s baptism. In that small-town church that had doubled in size and had the bishop and the district superintendent presiding, she walked into church for the first time on that day. She made a promise along with others…
An August ago, Steve and I spent some of our anniversary time away hiking in the Blue Ridge mountains. After having enjoyed three presidential homes in Virginia, we were ready for a different day. We read about Crabtree Falls – the tallest waterfall east the Mississippi, with a 1,000-foot drop. So, we set off to…
During my sophomore year of college, there were two terrifying abduction cases. Penn State, who most often gathered around football, basketball, and Creamery Ice Cream, was galvanized around two abductions and sexual violence. Both were of young women involved in the active Greek life. Both were surrounded with concerns of love and care. Both brought…