November has come and it is quickly going. Seasons are changing, temperatures are getting cooler, and Advent has begun. You, like me, might be wondering how we are here already – December, the wrapping up of 2022, time for Christmas music on the radio, and preparing...
It is the most wonderful time of the church year: Stewardship season! The truth is there is no such thing as stewardship season, not really, because the entirety of life is stewardship season. Everything we have comes from God, every breath, every moment, every...
Part of my role is to be staff support for the Discipleship Committee. I will say this committee is on fire with the Holy Spirit to welcome visitors and guest as well as facilitate ways to engage everyone. In our meeting last week, Matt Logan, who is still working...
Last weekend I walked into a building and felt transported back to fourth grade. The halls had the same smell, the floor the same linoleum, the doors the same wooden trim, as the school I started after moving to North Carolina. In response, I felt both energized and...
A dance company. A community theatre. A Boys and Girls Club. Apartments. Condos. A day center for those without homes. These are just some of the uses of neighborhood churches I saw sprinkled throughout Toronto on a recent vacation. Always on the lookout for...
One by one we filed out of Anderson Auditorium and made our way around Lake Susan. With only the streetlights and a few flashlights we stood side by side holding out our candles. Slowly from different spots the light began to be shared and one by one each candle...
I’ve been reading about the heat waves that are happening all over the world. 114 degrees in London! 121 in Delhi, India. Heat-generated fires in Spain. Most of these cities’ residents have little or no air conditioning. People are dying. Many of these deaths affect...
Over the last few months, I have been aware, dare I say hyper-aware, of the words to the hymns that we have been singing. The lyrics have been speaking in new ways to my spirit and soul. When this occurs, I try to do some research to find out what is behind these...
While they were saying these things, Jesus himself stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” They were terrified and afraid. They thought they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you startled? Why are doubts arising in your hearts? Look at my hands...
Over 10 years ago David Brooks wrote an amazing essay in the New York Times. While it was written for the good of our nation, his words of wisdom apply well to our life as a congregation. I am quoting him here not to suggest we lack these qualities. Rather, I am...
