Most of us have been to a funeral or two in our lives. We don’t look forward to them. Often I hear people say, “I’ve never been through this before.” What’s also true is that many people asked to lead a service think, “I’ve never been through this before.” Imagine that you, or someone you […]

It’s a familiar psalm, Psalm 23 is. We’ve heard it at funerals, in hospital rooms, in difficult times and not so difficult times. We’ve broken down the phrases. Shepherd. A table in the presence of my enemies.  It came to mind as I thought about what a friend said the other day. He was talking […]

Tim runs the Lystra Tea Company. I haven’t been there for awhile, but I think I’ll be stopping back in occasionally during the next few weeks. This conversation happened a year or two ago. +++ “How’s Lent?” Tim asked. He filled my mug with coffee. “Apparently coffee isn’t part of your offering this year.” Tim […]

Lent starts tomorrow. You can ignore this season without shame. However, some of you are leading groups who will be reading Lent for Non-Lent People. You may have people who ask, “How do I figure out what to give up?” Or you may be wondering yourself. A couple general ways to think: Simply ask yourself, […]

Yesterday was Transfiguration Sunday. The text was from Matthew 17, where Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up on a mountain. Once there, Jesus started to shine. Moses and Elijah showed up and talked with Jesus. And, as Peter wrote later, there was a voice from “the Majestic Glory”. It was a big moment. Peter […]