Pastor’s Pen (Page 3)
Pastor’s Column – July 2023
So let’s strive for the things that bring peace and the things that build each other up. Romans 14:19 Just imagine if everyone took these words seriously? Imagine if this was the bedrock of all our relationships? Imagine if this was the way our society created public policy or law? Imagine if religion took this seriously? I wish it did, but looking at the world, even Christianity in the United States, it is clear that we often don’t strive for…
Pastor’s Column – June 2023
God said, ‘Let there be light.’ And so light appeared. God saw how good the light was. Genesis 1:3 I hope you are reading this on a day when the sun is pouring through the windows. I hope you can reach out your hand or close your eyes and simply feel the energy of the sun transferring energy into your body and mind. If you aren’t in such a place, I invite you to really be present the next time…
Pastor’s Column – Apr 2023
“Then know, there is no hide-and-seek with the divine that doesn’t end in you being found.” I don’t know about you but I can’t read that line enough. Even though I am a reverend, there are days when God’s grace and love seem so unbelievable to me. When I fail to live out the best version of myself… when I feel like I am not doing enough… when I feel like I don’t deserve God’s love, I am reminded that…
Pastor’s Column – Feb 2023
“Seek the Lord while God may be found, call upon God while God is near.”God says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD.For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:6,8-9 NRSV Jessica and I will be married 9 years this coming June, however we have been together for 13. After 13 years I feel…
Pastor’s Column – July 2021
They are like trees planted by streams ofwater, which yield their fruit in its season. Psalm 1:3a I recently heard someone explain that the “Church is a community of people where God nurtures, teaches, and challenges us in the ways of God.” Through our worship, in our prayers, by way of fellowship, we feel the nurturing presence of God with us. Through Sunday School and the studying of scripture, we dive deeper into the mystery of God’s immense love for…
Pastor’s Pen – March 2013
Often my friends joke and say as I enter a room, “Here he comes, watch the sparks fly.†I appreciate the humor relating my name to my work and calling. Part of my job is to guide the church into identifying the existing sparks and the new ways to make them fly for the ministry of Christ. As your interim pastor, I am looking forward to beginning the next phase of our time to together, looking into the community and…
The Season of Lent Begins
The Season of Lent Begins Ash Wednesday, February 13 with Service at 7:00 PM. Weekly Thursday Evening Sessions will be held at 7:00 PM. The Season of Lent is a great opportunity for Christians and the Church. It is a time to check in upon our faith individually and collectively. Known as a season of sacrifice – giving up something that is a regular appreciated part of our lives – more so, lent is to grow spiritually and prepare for a…
Pastor’s Pen – January 2013
Christmas memories, I hope and pray that your Christmas memories of the past and for this year are good and healthy ones. Thanks to so many of you for the Christmas cards and gifts and to the congregation at large for the gift card. With a national tragedy that focuses upon the loss of the lives of children and teachers in one school lingering over us, we need to be sure and reach deeper within to find the joy of…
Christians are Turkeys
Last Thanksgiving, while driving home to my parents, I heard a story on National Public Radio explaining why we call turkeys “turkeys.†After all, turkeys are indigenous to North America, so why are they named after a country in Eastern Europe? It seems it all began when turkeys were taken to England from the Americas in the 1500s. At this time, the English called anything foreign or alien “turkey,†regardless of its origin. Persian rugs were called “Turkish rugs.†Hungarian…
September Pastor’s Pen
Let’s be honest: people can be annoying. Even those we deeply love can sometimes get on our nerves. In those moments, it’s so hard to be kind and gracious. But as Christians, we are to love at all times, even when the people in our lives are really grating. “We love because he first loved us†(1 John 4:19). Jesus loved us so much, he was willing to prove his love in his death. It is pretty clear people annoyed…