Our strange new world

Our strange new world

In much of today’s society, a ‘thumbs up,’ a ‘check mark,’ or a ‘heart’ emoji, stands in as a ‘like,’ denoting a follower/friend. Based on this as a measure, there are people with thousands upon thousands of ‘friends.’ Granted, they’ve not met the vast majority, and...
An update from France

An update from France

We were up and about before the birds Monday morning preparing for a 6:30 AM taxi ride to the airport. As we were plenty ahead of schedule, there was time for a leisurely coffee and croissant before boarding our 9:15 AM flight to Lyon, France. We deplaned outside in...
Those words after the last word

Those words after the last word

Have you ever had a non-family member you looked up to, respected, whose friendship stood out from all the rest? Is there a moment you can recall when that person spoke to you with words of strongest affirmation (not flattery because that wasn’t who they were), words...
The new harvest

The new harvest

Picture, with me, the twelve men sent by Jesus to buy lunch – in a Samaritan village – from real-life Samaritans! This was a first for all of them, an unpleasant first, even a dreaded first. Their whole lives they had learned to avoid all dealings with this...
Streaming Grace

Streaming Grace

This past week I had the unique privilege of being in a meeting of pastors, specifically, a Lutheran, an Episcopalian, a Methodist, a Presbyterian, and me. The meeting began with a discussion centered around donuts which had been purchased for the gathering. Somehow,...