“Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:29 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:2) The time after Easter Sunday is a good time to read the Bible stories of the days after the crucifixion. Looking at the events helps to examine the mea ..read more

This past Sunday, Sue and I were preparing to check out of a hotel in Connecticut where we had stayed for two nights.  The trip had been preplanned to see our grandson, Thomas, a freshman at Wesleyan University, play the drums in two school concerts, one on Friday evening and one on Saturday evening.  The concerts were wonderful and it was a joy to watch Thomas perform so well. The trip, though, had a sudden second purpose as of Wednesday last week.  That evening we learned that Sue’s younger sister, Nancy, who lives with her husband, Mark, about 20 minutes from the Wesleya ..read more

I have another birthday approaching and some might say it is a milestone. Perhaps it is. I believe my genetic disposition must come from my mother’s side of the family as she lived to be 94 and my brother, Jim, just celebrated his 94th birthday. I remember the celebration I enjoyed for my 50th birthday. When it was my turn to say a few words, I remember thanking the guests for coming. I also remember sharing my conviction of what is important to me: my relationship with God, my relationships with family members, and my relationships with my friends. Now, a “few” years later, these i ..read more

By faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.  Acts 3:16   When Peter and John heal a man lame from birth in Acts 3, so that he can stand and walk, the first of many healing stories in the book of Acts, we are supposed to notice how similar this is to one of Jesus’ healing stories (Luke 5:17-26).  The point seems to be the post-Easter, post-Pentecost church could do surprising, life-giving, world-changing things, like Jesus, because th ..read more

“Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He has been raised; he is not here.  Look, there is the place they laid him.  But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there will you see him, just as he told you.”  Mark 16:6-7   Alone among the gospels, Mark’s Easter story doesn’t have Jesus. He’s mentioned, but he’s not there.   And, it doesn’t really have a happy ending. Rather than responding with great joy, running off to tell everyone the news, Mark’s women at the tomb responded to t ..read more

Recently I was blessed to travel to Italy and tour the countryside. Along the way I visited many basilicas, cathedrals, and churches. What struck me most of these magnificent buildings from the Middle Ages and Renaissance, was the sheer size and grandiose architecture and art adorning them. I tried to picture people from the area walking across the piazza or square, and this building looms so large over them. Even the doors are often 20 or so feet tall. Everything is built to impress the position, power, and authority of the Church over the area and the people within it.   The rules of w ..read more

Many people—our worship planning team, our parish administrator and bulletin proofreaders, our music director, our altar guild, our tech team, and I—spend good energy planning weekly worship. When everything comes together well—so that the hymns resonate with the readings, the instrumental music reaches where words can’t, the sermon makes sense, and the sound system cooperates—the whole is much more than the sum of the parts and our careful preparation is satisfying. So, it’s something that my favorite part of worship this past Sunday was unplanned and unexpected. Just before the final b ..read more

One of the delights of our family is that we get Christmas cards from a variety of countries. One card from a cousin multiple times removed who lives in the ancestral home in Vienna, sent a simple card featuring a picture of the Madonna and Child which is in the Molk Abbey in Austria. A writing on the back of card comes from Klaus Hemmerle, a Roman Catholic Bishop in Austria who died in 1994. The writing said: “God’s interest is us not only distributes friendly gifts while HE Himself remains at a distance, but His interest in us drives Him into our situation. HE comes where we are, HE enters ..read more

At the beginning of February, our church council met for a mini planning workshop. We talked about our hopes and dreams for the congregation, and we began to list all the different things that happen in our building—everything from once-a-year ministries like Peace of Pizza to week-in and week-out tasks like paying the bills and scheduling worship leaders. Our charts fill one wall of my office. You’re welcome to stop by and see. You’re also welcome to add ideas if we missed something. Throughout the year, the council will continue to work on this. Ideally our day-to-day activities a ..read more

From the balcony of our condo here in Palm Desert, California, I can look past the few structures in my line of sight, and see the vast emptiness of the desert that is only a few miles away.  Tall swirls of sand are visible in the distance as the easterly wind blows across the valley, the area the locals call the “Low Desert.” After a short car ride, the cacophony of competing sounds from the city are left behind and Sue and I are out beyond where people live.  All around, acre after acre, mile after mile, the land is relatively barren, with a few clumps of brush seen here and there ..read more