This past Sunday, I started a new series of sermons called “Missional Strategy – Why we do what we do the way we do it.” I think I chose this topic partly because the pandemic is winding down, partly because our church is on the threshold of some new opportunities, and partly because mission drift
The Jordan River rises from the slopes of Mt. Hermon on the border between Syria and Lebanon and then flows through northern Israel and into the Sea of Galilee. From there, it meanders through the Jordan Rift Valley until it empties into the Dead Sea, making it the lowest river on earth. It is similar
“3000 Years of Longing” feels both old-fashioned and original; it also feels like a fairy tale for adults. What it doesn’t feel like is a movie you can warmly recommend to your friends. Adapted from an A. S. Byatt story, the latest from writer-director George Miller is a romance about a genie granting three wishes.
Fall is the season for all senses. The feel of cooler temperatures after a long summer. A warm, visually pleasing palate of reds, oranges, yellows, and browns. The taste of pumpkin in everything. The sound of crunching leaves underfoot—the smell of woodsmoke. There’s something about driving past a house with smoke coming out of the
Plates on one end, bowls on the other, glasses on top. It’s your turn to load the dishwasher tonight, but if you plead ignorance on how it’s done properly, maybe you could worm your way out of it. Somebody else’ll do it, so go sit down. Take a rest and read “Equal Partners” by Kate
One afternoon when my husband got home after work, he went to get a snack. By 3:45, he is ready for something to eat before dinner, which typically every night is about 6:00. I buy him the little chocolate chip muffins from Aldi’s that he loves with his morning coffee. These one-bite wonders are perfect
This morning I awoke to a gloriously chilly 55 degrees, misty fog, and the banging of garbage bins as sanitation workers made their way down the street. Such is life. A mix of the superb and the mundane, which is an oddly apt way to describe the transition from summer to fall. You have those
The Dead Sea is located on the boundary between Israel and Jordan. Its northern shore is about 16 miles east of Jerusalem and 104 miles south of the Sea of Galilee. The Jordan river flows from the Sea of Galilee into the Dead Sea. The Bible most often mentions the Dead Sea as the eastern
It’s a rainy Sunday, and I am snuggled on the couch, wrapped in my fall fleece blanket that I finally got out this weekend. My Halloween tree is in front of our front bay window, with the tiny orange and purple lights glowing as primitive ghost ornaments hang off a branch. Candy corns, pumpkins, witches,
