Blog

There are good habits and there are bad habits that are formed through routine and ritual or repetition. In conversation with someone who is in recovery, she said, “The desire I have to get high goes away after about 15 minutes. So, I try to think of other things and...

In our adult forum class we had the privilege of having someone who teaches a class on “the inklings” (CS Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield) give us a brief introduction of C.S. Lewis. We read excerpts of his sermon “Weight of Glory.” To end the...

I visited Jesus today. I went into our prison today and I visited Jesus. I drove up and parked a distance away because it is street cleaning day in front of the prison. I put on my badge, left my cell phone and purse in my car and walked in the prison. They screen me...

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...