I have led more funerals than I can remember in 4 decades of pastoral ministry.  My calling includes sharing God’s wisdom with wives, husbands, mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters in their times of grief. God knows I have lived close… Continue reading

Monday afternoon, a day off from ministry for me, while taking care of household chores, a dark mood started to settle over me.  When I am tired and alone I know that I am vulnerable to thoughts that include sorrow,… Continue reading

I have been a Christian for my entire adult life, imperfectly devoted to Christ. In those decades I, like every human being, have known seasons of sickness, death, and disappointment. Sometimes there is wonderful peace and great comfort and sometimes… Continue reading

“I just don’t understand it all.”  I seldom turn on the news anymore which is a huge shift for me, once a news addict. I purposefully ignore politics, another shift.  Yes, it is inarguably true that America has rapidly lurched… Continue reading

The Awana curriculum that I teach for 5th and 6th graders instructed me to teach that “Jesus Gives Us Grace.”  I thought of the story of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. In the beginning of that story, Valjean is staying… Continue reading

While preparing for the sermon I read a familiar story in John’s Gospel. While reading the lines, emotion overwhelmed me, tears blurring my vision, my heart full. Why? I sensed the unbelievable, deep love of Jesus for me!  One little… Continue reading

Do you choose a long-term reward over a short-term moment of happiness? Years ago, researchers selected a group of children who were presented with a single treat. They were told if they waited for 15 minutes to eat the treat,… Continue reading

Yesterday it came to my attention that Dr. Suess, you know the guy who gave us Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat, is now on the list of authors who created books that are too dangerous… Continue reading

Last week I pulled a book off of my shelf, The Different Drum, authored by M. Scott Peck in 1986.  It is about “community making and peace.”  What an appropriate place to spend time musing in 2021.  Our nation is… Continue reading

Yesterday my sermon asked “Who Is Jesus?”  It is a simple and complex question at the same time.  He was a Jew who lived 2000 years ago whose teaching about God’s love and how we live with one another is… Continue reading