I am not usually quick to give advice. The problem with advice is that the giver of advice does not have to live with the consequences of that advice. What works and has value for me may not work for someone else in another situation. Human beings are each unique. There is no cookie cutter […]
Every now and then, God calls us into a bigger world. In my hometown there was a local grocery store with an oversized parking lot. The extra space would often be used by various vendors – fireworks in the summer, Christmas trees in December. When we would drive by I would often look to see […]
and now we fall into this grasp of cold – of white and black, and never ending night.It’s here again, but so am I. So boldto face the winter’s snow, to win the fight. Ever since I moved to the northwest I have dealt with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). I grew up in a much warmer […]
Music can be sanctifying. It can be a tool of the Holy Spirit to form the image of Christ in us. Music is a means of grace. Last year I began a tradition of forming a short playlist as a way of reflecting on the year. What have I learned? Where have I seen God? […]
Christmas is Practically Here So here we are at the end of Advent. Tomorrow evening the Advent songs will appropriately give way to Christmas carols. The wait is almost over. Almost. As we enter into the final hours of Advent, what ought to be our mindset? Our attitude? Our posture? Many of us will spend […]
And the crowds asked him, “What, then, should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than […]
There are a number of different themes that can be used to lead us through the four Sundays of Advent. Probably the most commonly used themes today are Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Sometimes these might be found in differing orders, sometimes one or the other is replaced by Faith. But, at least in recent […]
Now that Thanksgiving is over and December is here, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas (though, as usual, I began to see the Christmas décor creep into stores before Halloween was over). Nevertheless, the season of Advent reminds us that before we can celebrate Christmas, we must first endure a season of […]
“Let nothing disturb you,Let nothing frighten you,All things are passing away.God never changes.Patience obtains all thingsWhoever has God lacks nothing:God alone suffices.”St. Teresa of Avila Ugliness aboundsBut “Beauty will save the world.”*Resurrect my hope. The earth shifts beneathBut “Let nothing disturb you.”Resurrect my hope. There is much to fearBut “Let nothing frighten you.”Resurrect my hope. […]
The promises of God are often sold –Forsaken for a bowl of lentil stewOr for a flag of red and white and blue.But there it sits, with time collecting mold. “If hope be hope it must continue to burn after it has put out every false hope.”Karl Barth One of the biggest mistakes Christians in […]
The Local Pastor 