Category: Uncategorized
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Memorial Day & Memorial Gifts
Seventeen years ago my father died. He served in the Navy during WWII and then enlisted in the Air Force, retiring after 23 years of service. As many veterans, he did not share his wartime experiences with his family. Not being a veteran, nor serving in the military, I can only rely on books for
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If Stained Glass Windows Could Talk
The sun broke through the clouds just as I was looking at the stained-glass windows. Sitting in the back pew I was able to see each window light up and cast its colors into the sanctuary as if it were performing its own sacred dance. Several of the windows displayed the donors name, while most
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Simple is Not Easy
“What does the Lord require, but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” – Micah 6:8 In my daily reading one of my favorite passages hit home. This passage is both simple and difficult. It is simple because it does not require a sermon series to unpack its meaning.
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The Best News Ever
The loss of a loved one is profoundly painful. The weight of grief slows time to a standstill. We see people going about daily activities wondering why they don’t realize our world has stopped. On Good Friday I imagine those closest to Jesus were completely devastated, His mother labored even to breathe. Everything – her
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The Holy Week Mirror Image
I am placing myself within the Holy Week drama. So instead of re-membering the week’s events, I am co-membering – placing myself in each character’s role. I got as far the Garden in Gethsemane when I realized I was penning a short story instead of a reflection. So to spare you a long read, I
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Of Insurance and Assurance
The word insurance conjures up all sorts of thoughts and feelings. If you have been struggling to pay health insurance premiums or have been “self” insuring because you cannot afford the health plan, the word insurance is loaded with anxiety. Now if you had a water pipe break in your home and the insurance company
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One-Time Gifts
Gifts come in many forms and so generosity is measured on more than the scales of money and wealth. When I present my offerings at the Altar, it is in form of legal currency – cash, check, credit card. The time I spend caring for family members, friends, and neighbors, volunteering at the food panty
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Reflections on Giving
A good barometer of a healthy or unhealthy church is our use of and relationship with money. That being said, I encourage church leadership (and laity) to read Clif Christopher’s book “Rich Church, Poor Church”. Money, it appears, is not the problem. During Lent, I think it is appropriate to include our personal relationship with
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Setting Down and Picking Up
Have you ever stopped into the grocery store for just a couple of items and instead came out with a couple bags full? I walked right past the hand baskets because I did not need one – right. By the time I got through I found myself setting down what was in my arms so
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Memorized by Heart
Those of us from an older generation remember the task of memorizing something by heart, a prayer, a passage of Scripture, even the Preamble to the Constitution. Memorizing by heart means that I can recall my favorite scripture without thinking. It arises within me like a well-known song or hymn. Head memorization, however, is different.