The pandemic has put “health” at the forefront of everyone’s minds. “Am I healthy? Am I sick? Is my family healthy?” We’ve worried a lot about what we might have touched and who we were around. It’s why we freak out when we or anyone starts coughing in public. We have health—and sickness—on the brain. Thanks be to God that multiple vaccines are being distributed. It feels like we’re finally getting on track to start improving our physical health as a country. But as my doctor always says during my annual physical, “health” isn’t just physical. It goes deeper. The same is true for our national health as well…………[to continue reading, click View Post above]

Whenever someone experiences an event that is traumatic, they are traumatized. We all know that, but we often don’t think it applies to us or others as much as it actually does. We might think that we have “gotten over it,” but our bodies remember the trauma even if we think we’ve moved on. Stress takes a toll. Being afraid takes a toll and leaves a mark in our psyche, like a scar but on the inside. One of the most well-known examples is military service. Our military service men and women experience far more stress than most of us do…….. [to continue reading, click View Post above]

Today is election day. So how should we handle it? Most importantly, be mindful of what helps you and what doesn’t—what gives you peace, and what stresses you out. It will be tempting to watch constant news or scroll social media all day, but I don’t think that will help you feel more peace and less stress. After you have already voted, maybe helped others be able to vote, and the polls have closed, your civic duty is done for the day, so be sure to take care of yourself…… [click View Post above to keep reading]

This year’s election season has been the most contentious and hostile in recent memory. So in the last three sermons, we talked about how we as Christ-followers can conduct ourselves during such angry tense times. A running theme each week was that we act better when we are more aware of ourselves and others. Our goal is to see ourselves and our neighbors with the eyes of God. We will fall short, but we don’t stop trying. When we lack awareness is when we fall prey to our base human tendencies and temptations…… [click View Post above to keep reading]

This pandemic season has felt like an exile from normal life and doing what we enjoy. Fortunately there are many Bible passages that speak to what it feels like to be plunged into exile. One of the biggest baddest things during the Old Testament was when the Israelites were conquered and taken into exile in Babylon for about 70 years. So if you’re interested in Bible readings with big connections to the times we’re living in…… [click View Post above to keep reading]

During this pandemic time we think and hear a lot about being contagious. We use words like “aerosolized particles” and “contact tracing” to help us be aware of how the coronavirus spreads. What makes this virus so hard to stop is that people can be contagious for a whole week without even having symptoms—walking around spreading it unaware. Hence, masks and distancing to cut down on the spread. But there’s another kind of spreading we need to remember. We can spread feelings too….. [click “View Post” above to keep reading]

I was so touched and surprised during worship this Sunday that it was hard to say how thankful I was to our sweet church. I appreciated so much the congratulations and gift that you gave for the completion of my doctoral degree. The program took years of different kinds of work, and at times I considered stopping. But even though you didn’t know it, you all helped encourage me to keep going. It was your…… [click on “View Post” below to continue reading]

Here’s some Bible trivia for you: What is the first question that a human asks God in the Bible? I’ll give you some time to think about it… Okay, time’s up. The first question that a human asks God in the Bible comes from Genesis 4:9. It’s when Cain asks, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Good question. ……..[to continue reading, click View Post above]

As we prepare to invite people back into the sanctuary for worship, we have developed many rules in order to maintain the healthiest environment possible. You’ll see them in e-mails and posted on signs around the church; you’ll hear them in announcements and mentioned during worship. Many rules. And it’s okay to say it out loud: rules are annoying….. [click on View Post above to continue reading]

Matthew 10:26-39 always sounded strange to me, because I always pictured Jesus as sweet and smiling, maybe some kids crawling on him, preaching about God’s love and encouraging more peace. And yet in Matthew 10, Jesus announces, “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law—a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’” That doesn’t fit with the warm fuzzy image of Jesus we’ve put in our heads. What’s going on?…. [click on View Post above to keep reading]

It is a temptation that every human has, to think about and talk about “those people.” “Those people” are anybody we want to group together and judge: “Well that’s just what those people are like. You know how those people act. Everything would be fine if it weren’t for those people.” When we hear of something bad that a person(s) has done, our minds are quick to group together and judge all the other people who are in that same group. It can be done for any grouping……. [click on View Post above to continue reading]

“What is our world coming to?” A good friend of mine asked that over the weekend as we talked about recent events. Maybe you’ve asked that yourself lately. It’s a good question. We’ll get back to it in a minute. First let’s talk about what our world is and has been, before we consider what it’s coming to. It’s easy to see tough stories on the news from other towns, other states, or other countries, and then go back to the regular routine of our lives. It is a fortunate privilege to have a regular routine when people elsewhere face daily challenges. So we sometimes hear the news, feel bad, maybe say a prayer, and hope things work out for them. Then we go back to our lives and don’t think about it much. But……. [click on View Post above to continue reading]