HOW DARE WE Nothing has been gained when a paraprofessional in the nearby elementary school said, “This isn’t a holiday for me.” She meant this because she was white. The same school recognizes this day NOT because of MLK, but because it’s cold this morning. I say it’s cold alright....

The circumstances will be different, but what just happened to me has happened to you, too. Here are my specifics. I hike in the woods with my Troops (the dogs) at least twice a day. We take the same path. There is never litter on the Troop trek, but yesterday...

You know how people are with a newborn! It’s all felicitations and congratulations. In this story, though, there is a pop. Mary and Joseph are stellar Jewish parents. They take their firstborn to the temple forty days after his birth for the purification offering (Luke 2:22-35). This is both custom...

If such things existed in his day, the Apostle Paul would have been a great guest to have on the air during an end of the year podcast or TV show. Those who embrace his writings know his wisdom, conviction, passion and prayer life changed the world because when he...

IT’S CHRISTMAS MORNING as I send this. In addition to Christmas Eve services and what I hope you experienced as a quiet peace when you lit a candle and sang Silent Night or another great Christmas carol, I imagine you also remember reindeer and cookies and milk as a part...

  Being the son of a fulltime Christmas tree grower, I can share that Decembers were what you can imagine. So my mom, ever the planner, asked us pre-teenybopper kids to create for her and my dad a Christmas list of what we wanted. That’s no surprise, right? Pretty status...

Some think Labor Day was not that long ago. You know, summer, shorts and shades. And whoa, wow, here we are. Christmas. Already. For some, it’s way too soon, even though we have noticed merchandizers starting the retail rush around Halloween. Still, Christmas. Again. A woman in our choir was...

  Tell me you weren’t expecting a traditional “We should give thanks to God this Thanksgiving” blog. You should know me better by now. In the sermon series I brought to my church this month, I invited the congregation to consider how (and when) God gives thanks for us. Think...

  One thing is clear since this past Tuesday: this won’t be politics as normal. Some who prayed for God to direct this election may not comfortable with this new news. All of us, no matter our location, should wonder, “Is God changing, or are we?” Some believe God does...

To conclude this three-part series, Jesus makes three things clear: a.) there are laws, b.) there is love, and c.) laws and love are not the same. As the religious elite, the Pharisees embodied the law as The Big Deal. Their priority was to uphold the laws established so long...