Ponderings

Last night I was talking with a friend who was watching The Music Man. I could hear the familiar music in the background as we talked. It made me smile to think about those old Hollywood musicals of the 1950s and 60s because, while I

As we enter the second week of Lent, an email I received drew my attention to Jesus’ parable of the sower. It’s one of the first parables (or stories) he told, and one of the shortest (and presumably easiest to interpret, although that might be

This morning, while scrolling through Facebook, I came across a lighthearted question: What things — not people or pets — do you make up names for? The answers were both fun and baffling. Cars. Roombas. GPS voices. Fishing rods. Coffee makers. One person even named

I was reading this morning from Psalm 31: “Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress … But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in your hand; deliver me. Let your face shine

I was reading Ephesians 4 this morning (and listening to the wind howl), and suddenly stopped at v. 7. I’ve read it before, many times, but this time I wanted to sit with it for a while and ponder its meaning. “But each of us

Yesterday evening, at our Ash Wednesday service, we recalled the story of Joshua and the Israelites crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land. We don’t think much about crossing rivers today; there are bridges for that. Early Americans traveling on foot, horseback, or in

“Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love…” (Joel 2:13). Ash Wednesday begins with a word that is both heavy and hopeful: return. Yesterday, in our reflection on Lamentations 3:40, we were invited

“Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.” – Lamentations 3:40 Most of us don’t give up anything for Lent – it’s not part of our tradition. For those who do, or who try, there’s something almost comical

I woke up earlier than usual this morning, but I’m having a difficult time getting motivated to begin my day. Has that ever happened to you? Anyway, this morning my devotional time has focused on the short letter of 1 John. This tiny letter packs