There’s an old story about a husband who was very sick and in the hospital. He had been slipping in and out of a coma for several months and yet his faithful wife had stayed by his bedside every day. One day, he woke up and whispered to her, “You have been with me through…

The coming of a New Year is a chance for us all to do a little reflection on our lives and see if there aren’t some things that need to change. In theological language, we have a word for this process: it’s called repentance. Repentance is different than regret. Regret is looking back and saying,…

Once there was a pastor who was frantically trying to finish his Christmas Eve sermon. At the most inconvenient time, his wife informed him their 6 year old daughter had crawled under her bed and wouldn’t come out. The pastor sighed and went upstairs to his daughter’s bedroom. At first, he stood in the door…

Last Sunday night, our children put on their Christmas program. This year it was called “The Loaned Manger.” If you didn’t get a chance to see it, you missed something special. Not only was the music excellent, the choreography delightful and the dialogue hilarious, but the message was powerful. The setting of the play is…

Did you know the Advent season is almost as much about looking forward to Jesus’ second coming as it is looking back at his first? The scriptures associated with the first few weeks of Advent often call for believers to be prepared for Christ’s second coming, because “he will come again like a thief in…

This coming weekend we will celebrate Thanksgiving in worship at all of our services. Even though Thanksgiving is not technically a religious holiday, it calls forth from us a deeply spiritual response. There is nothing more pleasing to God than our thanksgiving and praise. Unfortunately, sometimes we approach life not really trusting that God will…

When Tammy and I moved into our home three years ago, we spent several weeks going through all the stuff in our storage room. We did it box by box, throwing out the stuff that wasn’t worth keeping, giving away the stuff we didn’t need anymore, and neatly putting away the things we treasure. We…

I have been known for missing things that are right under my nose. For instance, I’ve looked high and low for something I was already holding in my hand. Or I’ve asked for help finding something in the refrigerator only to have someone point out it was front and center the whole time. Likewise, I…

This coming Sunday (Nov. 1st) is All Saint’s Sunday. For many centuries, the Church has set aside this day as a day to celebrate the great role models of faithful discipleship who have gone before us. But here’s the thing – you don’t have to be dead to be a saint! Most of the time,…

Last Wednesday evening, two of our elders went to a local laundromat for their first attempt at a new ministry called “Loads of Love.” Their goal is to spend a couple of hours (several times a month) helping local families do their laundry – and paying for up to two loads. Initially, the folks at…