Reflections

Visiting angels: Come and rest a while

Visiting angels: Come and rest a while

Union Square Cafe opened on East 16th Street in New York City in 1985. The cafe was the vision of an up and coming chef, Danny Meyer. Fast forward to the present day, and Union Square Cafe is known for teaching future chefs and restaurant owners how to show great...

Ripples: The breath of life

Ripples: The breath of life

A couple of weeks ago, Cyndi and I tackled a problematic limb extending from a huge black walnut tree. Most of the branch was void of life. Calling what fell on the ground even before finishing my cut, a branch doesn't fully capture its size and weight. It was more...

Purpling: The World Needs More Purple People

Purpling: The World Needs More Purple People

The hot and dry days of July are behind us for another year. Our farm team is getting help from the rain a little more often. Plants, like people, require moisture to sustain life. We all know this. So the prophet Isaiah used this common understanding as a way to...

Shameless: Coming August 2

Shameless: Coming August 2

One day, a teacher, a person who studied the bible for a living, asked Jesus a question that is on the mind of anyone who wonders what happens when we die. Jesus answered with another question. And His question is critical to anyone hoping to answer the question posed...

Healing: On the other side of the crowd

Healing: On the other side of the crowd

Have you ever found yourself unable to get through a crowd? People packed into the same space so tightly that you had to push your way through to get to where you need to be? It's one thing if you know that the crowd will disperse before you need to move or if...

Restoring justice: Do it for you and us

Restoring justice: Do it for you and us

With new cases of COVID rising across the country and enough people refusing to wear masks to draw media attention, it's hard to focus on other subjects. One coping mechanism that comes highly recommended by experts is to limit our consumption of news. And I do this...

Justice for all: Church in the streets

Justice for all: Church in the streets

We are accustomed to hearing divisive language coming out of the mouths of politicians. Arguments that pit one group against another. Controlling a narrative that divides us into democrats and republicans, poor and well-off, working and jobless, and people of color...

A love story: Wine, water, and song

A love story: Wine, water, and song

According to the writer of John’s Gospel, the first miracle Jesus did was to turn ordinary water into wine. I’ve read this story many times. Often while preparing to officiate a wedding when I’ll reference it as an illustration of God’s interest in weddings. In this...

Stuck: Thriving in the midst of uncertainty

Stuck: Thriving in the midst of uncertainty

As June comes to a close and businesses reopen, I’ve noticed that my anxiety is less at times. Yet there remains a cloud of uncertainty as the number of infections escalates in states where leadership chose defiance over caution. And the catastrophic failure of...

Pastor’s Book Club News

Pastor’s Book Club News

Our plan is for a few of us to meet in person beginning this Wednesday. This also means moving our time back to 12 Noon. We will continue to be online for those who are not ready to meet in person or who do not want to wear a face mask. Unfortunately, the virus is...

A Community in Love with God, Each Other, and our Neighbors.