In this age of debate on Covid vaccinations, you may be one to say, “I’ve done my research.” Naaman did his research. Or so he thought. But I’m ahead of myself. In 2 Kings 5, we read of Naaman, a revered commander in the Syrian army. This guy with it...

    The church may be done for sooner than some calculated. You may have wondered how congregations who experienced dwindling numbers before the pandemic are going to survive. Here’s the truth. They’re not. Covid is killing the church. Even healthy, vital congregations (or those projecting vitality) are riding through...

According to a survey released a month ago by the Pew Research Center, 29% of all Americans when asked about their religious identity describe themselves as atheists, agnostics or “nothing in particular.” This group, commonly referred to as “nones” in that they claim no religious affiliation, has increased from 23%...

Declutters are just waiting to pitch their poinsettia, if they haven’t already done so. Now that we are firmly into the New Year, this plant has got to go. Plant lovers, on the other hand, still marvel at the gift of the poinsettia. They’ve established a watering schedule for what...

  As parents and grandparents, we do what TV, film, and education curriculum does, we engage children in stories where animals talk, people fly, and yes, “the little engine could” actually does make it over the mountain with help from another train that personifies a person. So, if this is...

Gather Together “We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing.” This is the first line of lyrics in the traditional Thanksgiving hymn titled, “We Gather Together.” “Now that’s redundant,” someone is thinking. “How else would we gather if not together?” The songwriter has this right, though. There’s an intentionality to...

  Admit there have been times in your life when you’re caught between a rock and a hard place. Your white-knuckled, tight-belly feeling is similar to the one Moses experienced when his two options presented themselves. The Red Sea stretched before him. The crushing Egyptian army closed in behind him....

  My oldest foster son and I are waiting in the pediatric dentist’s office with other parents and children under the age of ten. In the waiting room is a big screen TV playing the Disney channel. The episode being aired is Halloween themed. It’s Disney, right? It’s innocent. Or...

  We’ve all been hollowed and shaken with the gut-wrenching question, “Why me?” This certainly happened to Naaman, a well-known and deeply respected military marvel. His story is found in 2 Kings 5. Fame, wealth, and authority surround this man whose name in Hebrew — which is naem— means “be...

  Last week, I wrote about a volunteer from the Red Cross who left me a voicemail. Her name is Bethany. Bethany’s message was prerecorded. You may have received it, too. In her upbeat message, she shared numerous perks available to anyone who came in to donate blood. I also...