The pilgrims went to Jerusalem. Once a year, at least. They set out from wherever they lived, heading up to Jerusalem. On this trip, they sang. It was, after all, a holiday, a camping trip, a time for family, for friends, for rest. Just like any family camp has a dog-eared songbook, so too the […]

(A first Friday post from Paul Merrill) Jesus knew that. We tend to forget it. Consider ways you can step outside your little world and reach out to those who know (or don’t know) they need help. “The tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. This made the Pharisees […]

This is the 200th post at 300 words a day. If all of the posts had been 300 words, that would be 60,000 words that Paul Merrill and I would have written. There have been a few really short posts, so we aren’t quite to that mark. But if Paul keeps writing his monthly First […]

“What does the Americans with Disabilities Act have to do with forgiveness?” That was one of the questions I asked a group of people recently. The theme of the morning was forgiveness. We were looking at a couple of stories that Mark tells about Jesus. In one of them, four friends rip a hole in […]

“We gave up everything. We’re with you. We’ve got nothing. What will we have?” Jesus had every reason for punching Peter right then, for firing him, for throwing up his hands and reaming Peter out. Peter is on this camping trip with God. Peter has watched Jesus heal people, including his own mother-in-law. He has […]