On the wall of my church study is a beautiful cross that my sister made for me one year for my birthday. It’s artistic – a collage of breaking waves and deep forests. It is inspired by the brightly colored crosses you see all over Latin America – which are painted with scenes of villages […]
The Ancient Greeks told the story of Pandora as a way of explaining evil in the world. In the myth, Pandora was endowed with every charm…the gift of all the gods. She was sent to earth with a little jar or box which she had been forbidden to open, but curiosity finally got the better […]
In the Talmud it is written, “A person’s words should always be few when speaking to God.” Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 6, “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others… […]
There is a great story in the book of 2 Kings (chapter 5) in which Naaman, a commander of an enemy army gets leprosy. He hears that there is a prophet named Elisha in Israel who may be able to heal him. In all humility, Naaman seeks out the prophet and asks for help. I […]
There is an old Hi and Luis comic strip that shows the little girl Trixie, looking out her window. She is waving to an elderly gentleman and thinks to herself, “There’s old Mr. Wavering. He always waves and smiles!” Then, in the next frame, she thinks, “I guess by the time you get to be […]
Psalm 55 begins, “Give ear to my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself from my supplication. Attend to me and answer me. I am troubled in my complaint.” Then, in verse 17 the song continues, “But I call upon God and the Lord will save me. Evening and morning and at noon I utter […]
Dr. Keith Wagner once wrote about the devastation caused by the eruption of Mount Saint Helen in 1980. The forests were destroyed by fire, and the rivers were choked with debris. Fish and other wildlife died. Toxic fumes filled the air, and the future for the area seemed bleak. However, less than a year after […]
One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 46. This Psalm has been read for centuries by people during times of great need or crisis. We read this Psalm in our church on the night of 9/11/2001. Today, I invite you to hear the Psalm again as a simple message of hope and trust. Psalm 46 […]
Psalm 32 reads a little like a before and after commercial. You know the kind, “Before I got the Ginsu super cutter knife, my culinary life was a virtual disaster, but now…!” Only the genuineness of this Psalm is undeniable. It is attributed to King David and it deals with the power of confession and […]
A pastor was trying to explain to a Sunday school class that God is all around us. “God is everywhere!” said the pastor. “Everywhere?” asked one little boy. “Everywhere!” answered the pastor. The boy went home and told his mother, “God is everywhere! The pastor said so.” “Yes, I know,” replied the mother. The little […]
