Dan Rather has been part of my awareness ever since he reported on the assassination of President John Kennedy in 1963. This past week he was asked about his thoughts, as a seasoned reporter (he’ll be 90 next year), on the transfer of government from one presidential administration to another, in a time of such […]
When I was a kid, a wise adult said something to me that created a lasting visual image: “Remember, when you point a finger at someone, four fingers are pointing back at you.” Countless times through the years, that picture of the accusing pointing finger has come to mind in a moment when I had […]
A few years ago, I wrote an article* on a group of people in the early church, between 250 and 600 years after Christ, known as Parabolani, or “Riskers.” Yes, that was the official name given to them by church leaders when they were ordained into this role in a solemn worship service. Their title […]
That can be the ultimate put down. Saying “You don’t matter to me” is even worse than saying “I don’t like you.” Maybe in our prime days of strength and self-sufficiency we may think we can get along without others, but as we get older or go through some sort of stress situation, we really […]
In honor of the birth of the Baby King Jesus Christ two thousand years ago, we at ABC are celebrating with four Advent Candles, and a fifth on Christmas Eve. But some of my friends are lighting nine candles this week. What’s that all about? Well, it’s about Hanukkah. Some of us think of this […]
I don’t know exactly when I became a Big Kid. I was the oldest child, but my brother Bob was born fifteen months later than I, and the two of us experienced childhood as a team. The third boy, Edward, came into the family when the two of us were both under seven, and the […]
These two English words come from the same Latin root, combining venire, come, with ad, to. The advent of something we hope for is when that thing “comes to” reality. The original application of the term to the mid-winter season had to do with the Advent of the Messiah, the coming of God’s Son, our Savior, […]
My first experience with an Advent Wreath was when I came as Pastor to Altadena Baptist Church in 1972. It wasn’t part of my Christmas tradition growing up, and I had never been involved with a church that used it in its Christmas celebration. It seemed vaguely Catholic to me, because of its candles and […]
I usually try not to express my opinion on things I know nothing about. Today I’m breaking that rule. I’m only vaguely aware of the pop music scene, and I have no idea what’s in and what’s out with Gen Z-ers. To me, TikTok is what a clock does (or used to do). I’m, at best, […]
[I wrote this article on Tuesday, before election results began coming in, because I didn’t want it to be seen as a response to whoever the winners and losers are.] If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear […]