What an amazingly wet day we had on Monday, Feb. 20. And whether you recognized it as a harbinger of climate change or just weird winter weather – it was wet, very wet. I was at North House Folk School with a group from church building timbered outdoor benches as a memorial from the family of Joyce Kehoe. Throughout the... READ MORE >
Highway 61 was coated with a thin layer of ice. I was approaching town and a deer stepped out to cross in front of me. I know you have seen this; and maybe your memory of such a sight is unpleasant because you have had a bad experience of collision and danger. I have been there too. This time I... READ MORE >
The other day I was at our wonderful Care Center. I so enjoy bringing a weekly Bible Study to a warm welcoming group of my older brothers and sisters in Christ who live there. They give me so much it truly has been my privilege to be there with them. They however will defer such praise and thank me instead... READ MORE >
Many years ago in a congregation far, far away, a gentleman approached me on a Sunday morning to register a complaint. He wanted some “feel good” religion; he wanted hymns and songs that were uplifting. He wanted a word from God that would encourage and comfort. “You, however, Pastor, for weeks now have been finding all the passages of the... READ MORE >
Lichens are marvelous plants if that is even a correct way to label them. They can grow anywhere, even on bare granite. They are tenacious, strong, diverse, and hardy in all kinds of regions. Rock Tripe, British Soldier, Caribou Moss, Lungwort, are some of the descriptive and colorful names of this marvelous sign of peace. I know that the olive... READ MORE >
This week in church we will hear a passage that contains this phrase, “All scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16a). That description is awkward even if it is somewhat a literal translation from the Greek. Usually we read in English translations “All scripture is inspired by God.” “Breathed” as a word image however has a power to convey and evoke... READ MORE >
When I was younger and on the canoe trail I used to go across portages as fast as I could. I remember friends with whom it was somewhat of a competition. That meant of course that what I usually saw was the path in front of me. Either I had the canoe on my shoulders blocking most the view of... READ MORE >
If you see me at the grocery store buying big bags of sugar (and I buy a lot of sugar) I am just feeding my hobby! That’s right I’m feeding my hobby–not my habit, but my hobby. And that means I am feeding my honeybees. This is the time of year that beekeepers across the northern states are feeding their... READ MORE >
Luke 2:1-20 – This is a story that we know well. So many of the details are committed to memory: shepherds, angels, wise men, the holy family huddled in humble and even crude surroundings, a crowded inn. We have heard the story from the time we were infants being dangled on grandparents’ knees sitting around a Christmas tree. We have... READ MORE >
This week, as we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent, many Christian congregations across the world will hear and perhaps sing a version of Mary’s great song, known as the Magnificat. You will find it in the Gospel of Luke chapter one, verses 46-55. It is a remarkable Bible text. Mary breaks into this song at the very beginning of... READ MORE >
