The Rev. Dr. Van Herd and I have a running joke about discernment: He says he is discerning God’s call to a place where the sun always shines and lemons grow year-round. He puts great emphasis on “call” to underscore the seriousness of the matter – with a twinkle in...
The holidays are often a mixed bag for most people. While the ad agencies have manufactured what our Christmas should look like and be like (matching PJs, perfectly blown hair, skipping and dancing all the way, a perfectly crafted ham and painted on smiles), that is very likely not the...
Hi Church Family! When I was growing up I would frequently be asked by my friends the question that I’m sure many of us can relate to: “Do you want to come to church with me?” Almost always my answer was a firm “No thanks!” This wasn’t because I was...
Dear Church: The story starts here: Patch Adams checks himself into a mental institution because he sees no point to his life. There he encounters Arthur Mendelson, who holds up four fingers to everyone he passes and asks, “How many fingers do you see?” No one provides a satisfactory response,...
About a month ago (mid-October), I was roaming around Costco looking for the Halloween candy (because you need a 45 lb bag of Halloween candy for the kids) and quickly found myself inside a forest of pine trees with blinking Christmas lights and singing blow-up snowmen. Christmas already!? I mean...
