Many years ago, I knew a woman I’ll call Lorraine who saw herself as generous. She and her husband often took the pastor and spouse out to dinners they would not have been able to afford. She brought small wrapped gifts to the women’s group—one for each person. She helped her widowed mother and sister with things for their home. In the congregation, people assumed Lorraine and her husband were among the church’s most generous supporters.
As last year’s calendar comes down from the side of the refrigerator to be replaced with a new one, I reflect on this ritual that honors the passage of time. In this..
Standing at the front of the church, a young couple takes their vows and soon the recessional music signals their new journey as wife and husband has begun. I can recall..
Love… a simple word but such a staggeringly complex idea to put into action. As we approach the fourth Sunday in Advent when we will light the candle of love, let’s..
My memories of childhood Christmases blur together. Each year was much the same: the whole family trimming the tree, my brother and I decorating Christmas cookies, and..
When I went to seminary in my forties, I learned the pure pleasure and joy of studying scripture with my heart wide open. I read the familiar passages, and I surely..
It is often said that a contented person is the one who finds joy in the small, little, simple things of life.
Imagine my chagrin. In my high school days (oh my – that was over 70 years ago!) I thought I invented a word.
While sacrifice is often portrayed as something grand, I believe it doesn’t have to be. I've come to see it as a quieter concept, rooted in the small, everyday choices..
I wasn’t expecting to lose anything. It was the summer before I started high school and as far as I was concerned, life was normal but with an edge of excitement that..
