What to Do About Christmas??? A few years back I ran across this sermon by Rev. Paul Larsen, an ELCA minister. It was written for a Blue Christmas Service at his church to help people who had suffered a loss get through the Advent and Christmas season. As I re-read it, it struck me that [...]
Thanksgiving ???? What a year this has been. When we started, things were looking good for us. We were trying out new ways to reach out to our community. Our Spanish service had launched, and we were preparing to invite our neighbors to join us as we celebrated our Lord’s resurrection. Then our world was [...]
Now More Than Ever Over these last few months, as the world limped by, I have found myself struggling with despair. I watched as a microscopic virus ground the world to a halt. People lost their jobs, business collapsed, people died, and I was prohibited from being with people that I love and deeply care [...]
WHAT’S UP WITH STEVE’S HAIR? You may have noticed, as you watch the weekly services, that my hair is getting rather long. In fact, it is longer than it has ever been in my life, and it is now longer than my wife’s hair. You may have wondered why. When the hair salons and barbershops [...]
How Long, O Lord? How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? Psalm 13:1-2 (NRSV) I don’t know about you, but I find that David’s [...]
George Floyd Many of you know that I had the privilege of growing up in the inner-city of Chicago. I have invited many of you to try and find me in my third grade class picture that I have hanging on my wall (Hint: Mine is the only white face in the picture). Those thirteen [...]
The Brave New World? Five years ago I shared with you my experience driving a tractor-trailer during my seminary years. Over the six months and 25,000 miles I drove, I was sent to dozens and dozens of cities and towns to deliver products for the company I served. Each new town required me to [...]
UNPRECEDENTED TIMES? I have heard that phrase so much over these last few weeks that I have begun to think that it is a new newspaper “The Unprecedented Times.” I know that nothing like this has happened in my lifetime and because of that, I find that I am constantly second guessing myself, asking if [...]
?????????????? Do you ever get the feeling that we have been dropped into the middle of the filming of a movie? You know, one of those movies where the future of the planet is constantly hanging in the balance. The characters are running around trying to figure out what to do next to keep the [...]
The Exit Row Last year I shared the following with you. It was by my friend Rev. Jonas Hayes. It says something very profound about our calling as followers of Jesus. “Are you willing and able to sit in the exit row?” God, this is the question I want to ask — of every parent [...]