This week the world received the unhappy news that Queen Elizabeth II, the reigning sovereign over Great Britain for the past seventy years, had died. I wasn’t sure how to process the information. The queen had been on her throne for as long as I could remember, but I had never met her. She […]
Acts 16:31
They thought themselves abandoned
Scattered. Alone. Abandoned. They’d seen their leader arrested. Watched him be tried. Saw him nailed to a cross. Heard his final cries. Witnessed his death. Now what? Disillusioned, they waited. He’d said he’d never leave them or forsake them. But they were left behind. Until Sunday morning, when Mary Magdalene, the other Mary and Joanna […]
Life After Trouble
When my daughter first graduated high school, she continued her art studies with a private tutor who was a student at the University of Oregon. Instead of going home to New Hampshire at the end of each spring term, the tutor opted to stay because she said Oregon summers were delightful. I wonder what she’d […]
Wishing You a Joyous Easter
With Easter bringing this holy week to a close I am reminded of an experience I had while cleaning out a neglected cupboard several years ago. Shoved to the back a tray of silverware waited, nestled among a few stale pretzels that escaped their bag. I recognized the pattern. The tableware came from my mother’s […]
When Heaven Gained A Hero
I’ve written about my neighbor before. He’s the man who lived across the street. The man who raised a garden big enough to feed a city block. The man who fought in WWII and received several medals and a commendation from President Roosevelt. That last part I didn’t know until his ninetieth birthday party. I […]
The Legacy of King
More than thirty years ago, (1986) Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a national holiday. Designated to be observed the third Monday in January, near King’s birthday on the fifteenth, the date did not happen without controversy. The civil rights leader who advocated harmony, became the center of conflict. Some states refused to adopt the […]
- Faith Matters
- ...
Honoring Easter
Jerusalem would become his last crusade. Jesus knew he wouldn’t leave alive before he entered the city. But He went anyway. After his triumphal procession the previous Sunday, Jesus spent the next three days teaching in the temple, giving final words of wisdom about God’ s kingdom to those who swarmed around him. The Pharisees […]
God’s RSVP
I am sending invitations for an event I’ve planned for the end of next month. Each one contains an RSVP because the venue I reserved requires a head count and a guarantee of a minimum number of guests in attendance. As the yays, nays, and maybes trickle in, I am amazed at the complicated, busy […]
Hosanna!
He stood at the top of the Mount of Olives, near Beth phage, looking down upon the city of Jerusalem. People were pouring in from all parts of Judah to celebrate the Jewish Feast of Passover. He and his company of men had come to do the same. Nothing about the tranquil scene suggested […]
The Dogwood Has Bloomed
The dogwood has bloomed. The tree sits on a corner along the street I follow to get to my bank. Every year I anticipate the arrival of the flowers, waiting for the splash of white blossoms to stir my heart as I hurry down the thoroughfare. Not only is the sight breathtaking, it reminds me […]