A few weeks ago I saw the movie “Interstellar” starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway. It’s a movie in which science is front and center. In fact, the director made sure the science behind black holes and space travel was as accurate as possible. But there was another overarching theme that really stole the show: love. At one point Anne Hathaway’s character,…

Right after my first Christmas in Keokuk, I took a week of vacation and our Administrative Pastor, Cathie Courtois, filled the pulpit. The scripture reading that week was the story of the slaughter of the innocents (Matthew 2:13-23). It’s the story of how King Herod, having heard from the wise men about a newborn king, had all of the baby boys two…

A word I don’t hear very often anymore is “milquetoast,” which is an adjective that means timid or weak. It entered the American vocabulary because of a 1930’s cartoon character named “Casper Milquetoast.” People may not use the word anymore, but the idea is still out there and is often applied to those who call themselves Christian. I have always believed disciples…

One Halloween, when my kids were little, we made the rounds on beggar’s night and then sat down on our front steps to help pass out candy. A few minutes later we saw death coming up the street. Actually, what we saw was a little boy and his father, both dressed up like the grim reaper. The little boy with his plastic…

It’s beginning to look a lot like fall in southeast Iowa – and it’s beautiful! Bright yellow, reds and oranges are appearing everywhere. But did you know those beautiful colors have been there all along? When fall comes and the chlorophyll stops circulating, the actual colors of the leaves become visible. Sometimes when a person does something good or bad it is…

During my children’s moment with the kids in Starting Point on Sunday morning, I asked them how many superheroes they could name. They came up with the ones you might expect, like Superman and Batman. But then one little girl said, “Robin!” I had to stop for a second. She was right. Robin was Batman’s sidekick, but he was a superhero in…

This coming weekend we are beginning our “Not So Superhero” sermon series and our staff is very excited. Why? Because everybody loves superheroes! Superheroes have amazing special powers. Some are faster than a speeding bullet. Others can fly, swing from tall buildings, or have mastered incredible new technologies. What our favorite superheroes have in common is that they all put their powers…

Rabbi Harold Kushner once wrote, “In a society that segregates the old from the young, the rich from the poor, the successful from the struggling, the house of worship represents one place where the barriers fall and we all stand equal before God.” I’m always amazed at the diversity of people in churches – especially churches that are thriving and growing. It’s…

I’ve been enjoying Ken Burn’s “The Roosevelt’s” this week on TV. As often happens when I learn the details of history, I see the hand of God at work. I’ve heard it said, “A country gets the leaders it deserves.” But from my perspective, sometimes we get the right leaders at the right time. And God is able to use even our…

For those of you who are tied up with work or other responsibilities during the week, I can assure you there’s always something going on at First Christian Church. Right now, the line dancers are keeping fit in our fellowship hall (and obviously having a lot of fun doing so). There’s a crew of volunteers working on the new family/handicapped accessible bathroom…