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Rich Shoemaker has a beautiful tenor voice. His breath control, volume, tone is just exquisite. He told me he can usually sing the exact pitch unless he learns it incorrectly. He said then it is hard for him to remember each time he gets to that particular note. This...

Will Easter ever come this yearamid the illness, isolation, fear?Will someone push away the stonethat holds us captive ... all alone?We're mired in Lent,the need to repentin the doom and gloom of an Upper Room."Could you not watch with me one brief hour?"Is this the...

I never expected to pastor through a pandemic, yet here we are. I have not written consistently or often in this blog. It is time to reflect. I am having to learn quickly how to have an online presence. I dabbled in Facebook and web blogs, but I have never zoomed or...

On November 2 and 3 we had the opportunity to hear from the Rev. Philip Gulley, Quaker pastor and author, during his visit to Otterbein. He shared his unique brand of storytelling with us, blending wisdom and humor in a variety of ways. During a time of Q&A, one...

Years ago, I was serving a congregation and I will never forget one Pentecost Sunday. Pentecost is considered the birthday of the church. The time the Holy Spirit rested on the people after Jesus ascended. The life of the Church began. So, I thought I would bring a...

Could you use another family? As one of our Lenten anthems, the choir sang a piece in which the phrase, “How beautiful is the body of Christ” as the overwhelming theme. At first glance, one might assume that this means the actual body of Christ our Lord, but further...

50 years ago Rev. Fred Rogers from right here in Pennsylvania, began a T.V. show for children and touched the hearts of many as his message came right into our living rooms. He began with a sweet song about a neighborhood. It’s a...

Most of us have our favorites when it comes to monuments. There are those, like Mount Rushmore, created by human hands, and there are those created by nature. Two of my favorites are Bryce Canyon and Arches National Park in Utah. I can't fathom how long it has taken...

We have completed another advent/ Christmas season. January reminds me of the name sake “Janus” with heads facing back and forward. This is a month we begin looking forward with resolutions and renewed hope. We also look back. This year we have an unusual Lenten...

Who isn’t fascinated by the life of Vincent Van Gogh? Many of us have been moved by the beauty of his art. I saw the animated movie about his death called “Loving Vincent.” It was created with 100 artists working to make his paintings come alive. The post master asked...