Have a seat with Jesus

Just yesterday, God’s Word hit me between the eyes. Some of you all have heard me say, that we need to be careful when we say a particular text is a familiar one, before we read it, because our mind can go to the end without hearing it fresh each time. In worship...

Honoring our friend, Dolly

Several years ago, when my daughters, who are now ages 15-20, were still just toddlers, I joined a bible study group at FPC for moms with young children. It was led by Dolly who was a mom of young children herself at the time. Over the years, some people left and new...

The gift of self-denial

The header on no less than twelve shelves in the chain bookstore read: “Self-Transformation.” Intrigued, I scanned the sub-headers that ranged from witchcraft to manifestation. There was a section on chakras and another on astrology. These shelves were distinct from...

We have an action plan

It is wonderful to be part of an active church that engages the community in outreach. Throughout Scripture we are told what we have been called to do. One of the most familiar passages comes from the prophet Micah: God has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what...

What a week. What do we do?

What a week: For the first time in decades the Congress of the United States passed bipartisan legislation on gun control and after half a century the Supreme Court of the United States struck down Roe V Wade. The former not getting much attention given the magnitude...

Who nurtured you?

Before you email me and say, “I’m a week off” I fully understand that Father’s Day was yesterday. But I am reflecting on Father’s Day for many reasons.  I often think that life, at least for me, has that rearview mirror so we can take a long look back and see the hand...

God has called us all, together

In the church I served in during my YAV (PCUSA Young Adult Volunteer) year, we were a body of, mostly older, Scottish folks but also of folks gathered from around the world. Each week as we would pray the Lord’s Prayer together in worship we were invited to pray in...

Learning and discerning how to stop gun violence

As I write this message the headlines blare with yet another mass shooting, this one at a medical facility in Tulsa. Even as we grieve Buffalo, Laguna Woods, and Uvalde, we are forced to reckon with Tulsa. I find myself overwhelmed and at a loss for words, unsure of...

Give the kids a Sabbath this summer

Sweet Summertime is here! The kids are out of school, and we can finally take a breath, clear our calendars, and relax, right?? Well, that’s what I was thinking until, while scrolling through social media last week, I saw an article titled “How to Keep Your Kids Busy...

In pain we turn to the Psalms

How long, O Lord?  How long?  As we gather to pray with the preschool teachers each Wednesday morning, these words of Psalm 13 are what came to us this past week.  These words may have also come to you as you heard the news of the tragedy at Robb Elementary in Texas. ...