Blogging Through the Seasons

When am I out of my comfort zone? When a favorite pastor asks me to contribute to a blog. How could I not tell of my God who has done so much for me? A God who give my life purpose, unconditional love, forgiveness of my mistakes. The God who wants to know each of us...

The archaeologist peers at a recently excavated wall of dirt and stone and observes a dark horizontal strata of earth, “. . . beautiful example of a destruction layer . . . high carbon composition, likely result of fire, destruction . . .” The student underlings listen and nod and ponder the meaning of this dark line; I imagine flaming timbers, the burning of villages and houses,

This weekend, I talked with an old family friend I call Aunt Annie. My brother and I grew up with this family. These were the people that had been in our lives since birth. My parents roomed with this couple in college. They were best man and maid of honor in my...

We know the story of Lazarus, the friend Jesus raised from the dead. Because it comes near the end of Jesus’ ministry, and involves death and resurrection, we usually associate it with Easter, not Christmas. But, like Advent, uncomfortable waiting is central to this...

From outward appearances, the conditions of the First Advent fell a little short of ideal. Peace was the last thing on the minds of the populace. After all, Israel had languished for over 400 years without a prophetic voice of peace. They simmered angrily under the boot of a foreign colonizer, and there was no peace in sight. …

One of my greatest joys of the Christmas season is hearing and singing Christmas Carols. I think of the many carols and songs that express the Joys of Christmas: “Ode to Joy,” also known as “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” (melody by Ludwig van Beethoven and words by...