One of the things I teach about stewardship is to write thank-you notes. When we are working on yearly budgets, we often forget to thank the folks who make the budget possible. Your best givers in a church are often not the wealthiest. However, they are the ones who hear God’s call to share the […]
What do you think about when you hear the word “church”? I’ve heard all my life that some do not like “organized religion.” Some people think that “church” means a specific denomination – Methodist, Baptist, or Presbyterian. Some people believe “church” means a building and that usually means a location. The word “church” appears more […]
I was thinking about how to live after a beautiful Easter Sunday. I was in Sanford, N.C. with Carolyn. We took Carolyn’s mother, Ruby, to church. This was her first outing from the nursing home after surgery and rehab for a broken hip. I was sitting in church on Easter Day thinking about Carolyn’s father, […]
The women who buried Jesus on Friday returned on Sunday morning. They brought spices and perfumes to anoint His body. What they found is the substance of Easter! There was no stone in front of the grave. There was no body within the grave. Instead, they found an angel proclaiming, “He is not here, for […]
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday and includes Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. I hope everyone celebrated Palm Sunday yesterday. Palm Sunday marks the start of Holy Week with Jesus riding on a donkey as He enters Jerusalem. People are lined up on both sides of the street waving palm branches. […]
My mother-in-law is 97 years old. She fell three weeks ago and broke her hip. She’s currently in rehab, and recovery will take a long time. Ruby was born in 1927. She was a child of the Great Depression and knew what it was to be hard-working and wise when it comes to spending. To […]
Ernest Hemingway was once asked if he could write a story in six words. His response: “For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn.” When I read this, I tried to fill in the details. Were the shoes not needed by the child? Was there a tragic loss? Was there something that would require God’s love and […]
In literature, when a phrase is repeated at the beginning and end of a section, it’s called an inclusion. In John 10:11-15 we see, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (v. 11) Verse 15 continues, “I lay down my life for the sheep.” This is a repeated phrase, and it’s an […]
The Venus flytrap is a flowering plant best known for its carnivorous eating habits. The “trap” is made of two hinged lobes at the end of each leaf. On the inner surfaces of the lobes are hair-like projections called trichomes which close when they are touched multiple times. Venus flytraps release a sweet-smelling nectar that […]
Lent is a 40-day season of prayer, fasting and almsgiving that begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday. Lent is a period of preparation. It is a time of solemnity and self-reflection where Christians confess their failings and resolve to live a better life. Lent is a season of 40 days, […]