How do we stay anchored when presidents change? When we don’t even know who the president is? How do we stay anchored when we feel the person that gets elected is going to end life as we know it? The Apostle Paul wrote to a community of Christians in Rome. At the heart of the…
One thing that has become increasingly turbulent in our day is increasing polarization and antagonisms. There is a feeling that we have to take sides and if you don’t take the right side, watch out, you are the enemy. One of my seminary professors David Fitch, calls this the Enemy-Making Machine. What happens is people…
We are living in turbulent times. We know it. We feel it. We’re in it and we’ve been in it for months. What do we do when the waves keep coming? When everything in life gets turned upside down, it’s a good time to evaluate. How strong is your foundation? What are you doing to…
When Hamilton came out on Disney+, I had to see what all the craze was about. So me, Laura, and our host daughter Navya made some popcorn and we watched it all in one evening. It was a lot of fun to watch. Really catch music. One of the songs is about how the different…
Perhaps you can think of an event you’ve been to, perhaps a large concert, a parade, a championship celebration, a large conference, where there is a large crowd celebrating something. This is similar to what Nehemiah and the people did when they dedicated the Walls of Jerusalem. The Jewish people and Jerusalem were on the…
Over the last few months, I’ve been working on my physical health. I have a new hobby of weight training. I’ve made the little mud room off my house into my own little man cave. It’s my own tiny gym. This past week, I said ok, I really need to keep working on my diet.…
Why do you do what you do? Why are you here this morning? Why do you do the job you do? Why do you spend time the way you do? What’s your why, what’s your reason behind how you are living? Forgive me for asking why so much. I have a 3 year-old and if…
There’s a made up story about Satan, the enemy of God , and the story goes that he once advertised his tools for sale at public auction. When the prospective buyers assembled, there was one oddly-shaped tool which was labeled “Not for sale.” Asked to explain why this was, the devil answered, “I can spare…
By Afton Rorvik and Marie Allison– What a difference a day made Twenty-four little hours Brought the sun and the flowers Where there used to be rain Are you hearing the melody? Men and women from every generation since 1934 have discovered this romantic blues song: “What a Difference a Day Makes.” The timeless tune…
The word Tenebrae is Latin for “shadows” or “darkness.” It can also be translated as “night” or “death.” The Tenebrae service is an ancient tradition in Christian history that took place on one of the last three days of Holy Week: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, or Holy Saturday. The purpose of this service was to remember the…