“Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Us Around” A sentence from one of the freedom songs of the civil rights movement.  “Marching Up Freedom’s Lane.” “Almighty God, Thou has called us to walk for freedom, even as Thou did the children of Israel.  We pray dear God, as we go through a wilderness of state troopers that Thou…

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Kentucky farmer and philosopher Wendell Berry is a poet who consistently invites us to look again at everyday common things of life. Berry makes the case that turning water into wine is a relatively small miracle compared to turning water (and soil and sunlight) into grapes. Many times, we are so…

Did you know … … your eyes produce tears all the time?1 … you can make 15 to 30 gallons of tears each year?1 … tears are essential to help you see clearly and maintain the health of your eyes?1 … your body makes three types of tears?1 … they can help communicate your emotions?1…

Worship yesterday was a rich time of remembering that through all things God works for good. (Romans 8:28) Pastor Dave shared 10 ways God can bring good out of a pandemic. If you missed being with us, you can watch here and see photos here. Photos from serving with Confluence Ministries here and from The…

Terry and I were introduced to NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts last fall (we’re old and not always up to date on everything) by a friend’s son. They’re pretty cool and we’re hooked. Our son Andrew told us we needed to watch a newer one by Alicia Keys. It was filmed in February, released in June.…

Sometimes I or the woman who is currently allowing me to live with her will get up in the morning, make coffee and turn on the news.  The rest of the day is spent trying to recover from this act of poor judgement.  The news is filled with pandemic, racial injustice, political divisiveness and economic turmoil.  I think…

Romans 8:22-39 Msg 22-25 All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it’s not only around us; it’s within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We’re also feeling the birth pangs. These sterile and barren bodies of ours are yearning for full…

Dear Brothers and Sisters, When Fred Rogers was asked what should children do when a disaster happens? He said ,”Look for the helpers.” It reminds me of great biblical verses such as, ”The light shines in the darkness and darkness did not overcome it,”  John 1:5 Or “Through all things God works for good…” Romans 8:28…

This has been a difficult year in so many ways, both for many of us as individuals, and collectively as a nation.  Between the pandemic, economic distress and political conflict, we feel like we have it pretty bad.  But we aren’t the first or only people to experience tough times.  The people of Israel also felt from time…

We pray regularly in the Lord’s Prayer, “your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.” Does that mean we are waiting for the kingdom to come someday far off into the future? Or, are we ready for the kingdom here and now? Jesus said the kingdom has come near (Matt 4:17 and Mark…