I was raised in a Bible-believing tradition, the German Evangelical and Reformed Church, which during my childhood merged with the Congregational Churches of Christ in Boston to create the United Church of Christ.  Both of my childhood congregations have since left the UCC because they do not accept the liberal teachings of their denominational leadership. […]

‘Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This […]

Today sees the start of the funeral arrangements for George H. W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States who passed away last week at the age of 94. Others will provide a far more fitting eulogy for this man who began his life of service to the country at the age of eighteen […]

Inevitably after the long campaigns that have been fought by the candidates at all levels in yesterdays midterm elections, the media and political pundits speak in term of ‘winning and losing.’ The various ‘wins’ and ‘losses’ will be debated in the coming days, and the politicians from both sides of the aisle will ‘spin’ their […]

Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse! Its rider is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed that no one knows but himself. He is […]

It is the time of year when we decorate our homes, workplaces and sometimes our dress with the dark themes of Halloween. There is the bright and cheery prospect of candy and pumpkin spice, but there is also the long dark of winter approaching. When we celebrate Halloween, we are joining in ancient celebrations centuries […]

According to Steven Pile’s The Book of Heroic Failures, Hiroo Onoda, a lieutenant in the Japanese army still believed he was fighting the Second World War until 10th of March 1974, 29 years after the war ended! How did he not know that peace of been declared? He was stationed on a remote island in […]

I once read through the entire bible in 90 days. As I began I feared failure. The time commitment to read some 12 chapters of scripture each day, I feared I wouldn’t manage my time well enough to accomplish the goal. Time management is always an issue in our busy lives. Listen to these lyrics […]

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then […]

        This month for Quench – a group exploring spiritual practices together -we enjoyed a Saturday morning exploring contemplative prayer and lectio divina. One thing the instructor said about lectio divina, or divine reading, was that you could use this practice not only with scripture, but you could also use it looking at art […]