I was laying back in our hot tub on a particularly clear night. There were stars scattered all over the dark sky. MY FIRST THOUGHT – Nothing has changed! I was viewing the same magnificent splendor that the shepherds on the hillside looked at in amazement the night Jesus was born, 2,000 years ago. And […]
Some statement on a recent TV news program made me think of how harsh and unsympathetic the world can be to the various ways human beings are hurting. Then, I began hearing encouraging reports in the ABC family that there’s really a lot of caring going on. Sunday a-week-ago someone* shared in the worship service […]
Would you like to give some advice to this woman? I found some simple steps online that should help reduce her anxiety: I showed this to my super-tense friend, and she said, “Thanks; now I have nine more things to stress over!” You can’t just get rid of stress; that would leave a vacuum, and […]
I’ve got to catch up all you civilized easterners on some big news out here in the wild west: P-61 died trying to cross the freeway. You see, we’ve got mountain lions in our foothill areas, and ever since 2002, scientists have been collaring and monitoring the behavior of as many as possible. P-61 has […]
Mrs. Fletcher first cried out these words into her emergency alert device in a 1989 television commercial, and within a few months they echoed from coast to coast, appearing in cool jokes among friends, as T-shirt slogans and in stand-up comedy routines (on-line memes were not yet a thing). The LifeCall company, in whose commercials […]
In today’s political climate, we’re all quite aware of the reality that there are people seeking asylum in the United States because of threatening situations in their home countries. They’re often referred to as aliens, which has negative connotations that make us think of how different they are from us and how uncomfortable they make […]
The new sermon series, begun last Sunday, is based on a word of exhortation from the Apostle Peter, in 2 Peter 1:1-8, and I introduced the symbol of a tree to represent the kind of solid, fruitful Christian life Peter is encouraging us to have. This image is not something Pastor Connie and I made […]
Jesus warned his disciples that they would face persecution for their faith in him: “If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen […]
I recently came across this thought-provoking description of Heaven and Hell: Heaven is where the Police are British, the Chefs are French, the Mechanics are German, the Lovers are Italian and it’s all organized by the Swiss. Hell is where the Chefs are British, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, the Police are […]
Disclaimer: Nothing in this article should be seen as reflecting on my marriage to the lovely Judith, which has for 60 years been perfect, without spot or wrinkle, 100% fulfilling, 24/7. (Is that the way you wanted me to say it, Dear?) “Falling in love” is one of the most talked-about and least lived-out of […]