This time last year, my husband and I were living in a small, temporary apartment. I spent the whole Thanksgiving talking about, and looking forward to, hosting my first Thanksgiving at my new housefor Thanksgiving 2020. Just for a moment of perspective, no house hadeven been looked at or purchased at this time, but it was still the plan. My aunt hosted lastyearand she eve...

" for the least among all of you is the greatest." Jesus interrupts his disciples in the 9thchapter of Luke's gospel to explain how greatness really works. The argument among them was over who would get to ride shotgun next to Jesus. You can imagine one boasting they were thefirstto say yes when issued the call for disciples to follow him. Another is chiming in to make s...

It's not Christmas, yet! That's right, I am ready to take a stand on Christmasin November.Actually,it'snot evenAdvent yet.I tell you this, while enjoying a peppermint flavored coffeeand I would bedishonestto you if I said I hadn't enjoyed some soft Christmas tunes in my officethis week. For Lent, I always feel like Ihave toremindfolks to anticipate Easter, thedeeper you g...

With just weeks to go until Thanksgiving, now is a marvelous time to begin itemizing in your head and in your heart the things for which you are grateful. We never quite know how life will materialize. We never quite know what's going to happen; it takes us by surprise and fills our lives with blessings. But,there are people and there are resources that have made our li...

I have been getting to know the youngest in our building over the last several weeks at chapel with Crossing Point children. Every Wednesday, I visit their classroom to read a bible story, pray, and sing a song.I tell them we can worship God anywhere, home, school, church, then they usually add on places like the park, the car or the museum. To begin our worship, Ilight a...

The hymnThe Church's One Foundationincludes these words of declaration: Called forth from every nation, yet one over all the earth. Our charter of salvation: one Lord, one faith, one birth. One holy nameprofessing, and at one table fed. To one hope always pressing, by Christ's own spirit led. If you know the tune, you probably just sang those words in your head. Sorry, i...

The last several weeks we have had a wide-open upper cabinet in our kitchen.A crack in the wood was developing and threatening the structural integrity of the door.With the door pulled off and sent away for repair, the things we usually stowed away behind the privacy of the cabinet door were suddenly there for all the world to seewell maybe not ALL the world, but our famil...

Thoughts from Peter October 14th Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. ~Romans 15:7 How easy is it for us to forget the welcome the Christ extends to us? Well, pretty easy, I guess, based on how reluctant I am to be welcoming to others. It is quite easy for each of us to forget that we are little more than sinners sa...

Thoughts from Peter October 7th The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the Saints. Amen. ~Revelation 22:21 This benediction and well-wishisthe very last verse of the very last book of the Bible. These concluding words sends forth the reader with encouragementand we need it. There is little any of us will do apart from what we are doing through the grace of God kn...

Thoughts from Pastor Katherine September 28th This week I will be retreating as a partofBethany Fellows. Bethany Fellows is clergy retreat for young clergy serving their first five years of ministry. It's quite surprising that up to 40% of clergy leave congregational ministry in their first five years, however, Bethany Fellows are up to 90% to stay in congregational mini...