In lives fully lived, there exist both risks taken to achieve some greater good as well as risks avoided with the regrets that inevitably follow. Our days are filled with both adventure and caution. And while “nothing ventured, nothing gained” is often simply heard as a financial maxim related to the importance of receiving a…
Friendship… Golden threads Hold us Together. Over years… Ole Friend Just Met… New Friend. Alike Different “Peas in a pod” “Peas and carrots.” Talk, share, Solve, give, Love, rejoice, Suffer, grieve. Babies born. Families grow. Life changes. Friendship remains. A Sacred Trust, Friends. Always there. Forever Love. Older, wiser. Happier, sadder. Together, apart. Matters not.…
By Dr. Ginny Barnes RUTH MAJOR KING’S DAUGHTERS 60TH ANNIVERSARY I WAS FRUSTRATED TO SAY THE LEAST. MAYBE ANGRY AT THE MOST. THAT LITTLE UPSTART TELLING ME TO CHANGE! WHO’S SHE THINK I AM? I’M HER GRANDMA! FULL OF RADICAL IDEAS I THOUGHT. MINE ARE BETTER. CALLED ME “OLD SCHOOL” AS THOUGH IT WERE A…
As I was recently preparing for our on-line worship at my congregation of Calvary Moravian Church in Allentown (during this time of the pandemic), one of the hymns I asked a singer in our congregation to record was “Open my Eyes, that I may See.” Soon afterward, I started preparations for an Ecumenical Virtual Gathering…
Prayer shapes believing. That is part of the thinking behind the Prayers-of-the-People and the rich collection of collects in our prayer book. As the church’s beliefs direct our prayers, we are formed in our concerns and led to the right actions in response. I am also learning that believing shapes our prayers. I am grateful…
We have been in the midst of this battle with Covid-19 for what seems like an eternity. We are tired of it all: the masks, the social distancing, the lack of community and contact. As Paul suggests, we are groaning, longing for an end to it all. And it is not only this virus that…
By David Arthur Auten Spiritual Counselor, Mission Hospice San Diego, California A few years ago for my fortieth birthday I decided to attempt reading In Search of Lost Time, Marcel Proust’s famous novel, and reportedly the longest novel ever written, a staggering 9,609,000 characters (including spaces) depending on the translation. I say “attempt” which is…
As an interdenominational, Christian organization in North America, we are a community of faith and hope called to live together serving others of all ages and circumstances. Prayer and devotions are foundational to our membership community and friends. For those following our blogs since January 21, 2021, you noticed a special program, 40 Days of…
Do you remember the Grinch? In Dr. Seuss’ book of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” the Grinch comes to the realization that Nothing can stop Christmas from coming. After he steals all of the presents from the people of Whoville he hears them singing while he is 10,000 feet up on his mountain of garbage:…
Beginnings are always an ideal time to look both to the past and to the future. It requires little effort to look back over this past year to know the hard times this nation has faced. The pandemic has affected us all in so many ways, but it is no secret that many families are…
By Rev. David Illman White Centretown United Church Ottawa, Ontario Canada Clergy Renewal Week Participant 2010 As we draw near to the end of November, the air has grown crisp, the days shorter; the growing darkness causes us to cherish the sun in those moments when it is at its brightest. In the Christian year,…