*We Gather Together” is one of my favorite Thanksgiving hymns. The Dutch author Adrianus Valerius wrote it after a significant military victory which brought security to his nation. I first heard the lyrics in my small childhood church. Whenever I sing it, my mind fills with memories of other churches and Thanksgiving services, from the […]
South Dakota nurse, Jodi Doering, expressed her frustration on Facebook, after one more patient dying of Covid, refused to acknowledge they had the disease. You may have seen her viral post. Covid denial has been deadly in the Upper Midwest. Where once it looked like we could begin to take a deep breath and hope […]
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.” Galatians 5:22-23 One wonders what question the apostle Paul was answering when he wrote these words to the people of Galatia. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, […]
“With this great cloud of witnesses around us, therefore, we too must throw off every encumbrance and the sin that all too readily restricts us, and run with resolution the race which lies ahead of us, our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.” Hebrews 12:1 REB Fortunate the person who counts […]
My parents taught their children with parables – not the Biblical variety, but those homespun truths which grab wisdom by the tail. If something needed fixing, we’d hear “A stitch in time saves nine.” My sister was often the recipient of “Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face, ” every time she and […]
The writer of the Biblical book of Proverbs encourages us in friendship. “Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart, and the pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice. ” (Proverbs 27:9) “A friend loves at all times, and kinsfolk are born to share adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17) The bonds of friendship can be […]
For a Generation of Instant Everything, Covid19 has been a painful reminder that not all problems can be instantly resolved. Only a scattering of people in my life have welcomed social isolation. Then there is the constant fear of catching a disease with so many unknowns. Would we be among the lucky, who have few […]
