God, speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, tells the people of Judah, who are in exile in Babylon, to hang in there, but don’t be idle. Instead, “Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what you grow in them.” Building for the future, when you feel like...
Last Sunday, I asked you all to pray for clarity regarding your role in rebuilding our neighborhood. And to ask God for a sign of a next step that involves you. I also asked you to share what you discovered with others and to ask them to pray with you for clarity....
Someday it will be necessary for me to retire. Like strawberry plants, fruit trees, and grapevines, we can produce fruit for many years, but there comes a time when our capacity begins to fade. Cyndi and I live in a parsonage. A parsonage is a house that belongs to a...
It is an ageless lesson. “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” It is the sort of wisdom that a grandparent shares with a child who sees a toy that they think they want rather than the toy that they are holding. It is the advice that a father gives his...
This past week we have had a lot of rain. And when we walk on clay-rich soil that has been soaked with rain, our boots get heavier as the mud accumulates under our feet. It is a good idea to clean our boots before we track mud into places where mud isn’t welcomed....
We begin our new worship series on Sunday, September 8. It’s called Back to the future. But our new series is not so much about time travel as the focus. During our series, I plan to ask a lot of questions about the future that you are hoping will come true for you....
The movie, Back to the future, is about a 17-year-old, Marty McFly, who experiences time travel in his friend’s invention. Marty’s trip illustrates a paradox. What if he does something that alters the future? In the movie’s storyline, Marty has to find a way to make...
I remember buying a book for a writing class years ago. The book was titled The Elements of Style. One of the contemporary versions of this book is now in its 4th edition. I haven’t opened this book in years and I’m not sure if I could find it. The Elements of Style...
Have you ever visited a “hall of fame” such as the one dedicated to people who played a prominent role in rock-and-roll located in Cleveland, Ohio? It must be quite an honor for your name to appear there. There is a link on their website for the 2019 inductees. You...
FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - The line went on as far as the eye could see, some people sitting at a stand still for hours. "Oh, about 6 am. And this is every Tuesday we go through this," said one Flint resident. "We shouldn't have to - there used to be like 10 places now...