“The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” -- Psalm 19:1 I’m sure more than one passerby wondered what the big dork adorned with a cowboy hat was doing staring into the sunrise that broke over our little city located on the northern ...
Surely not everyone in America is a country music fan, right? Nor is everyone simply mega fans of 1980s hit rom-coms and movie dramas either. So what gives? What exactly made Dolly Parton, the country music sensation, entrepreneurial businesswoman and pop culture icon, so universally ...
The old adage says you’re better off not meeting your heroes; they’ll only let you down. I counter that once in a while a hero does turn out to be worthy of admiration. And I am fortunate that my pastoral mentor was one. Divine design brought us together when I accepted a position as a leader at a small, rural church while I was still attending seminary. Denominational policy dictated that as a lay minister, I needed an experienced clergy person to help guide me as I grew as a pastor. And our synod, and my church, turned to the neighboring church parish where Pastor Jill had been ...
I recently celebrated my second anniversary at our large faith-based mission that provides emergency shelter, housing and food services to hundreds upon hundreds every week. It’s been a more emotional milestone than I anticipated. But it's a hard story to fully explain to folks who ...
There is a dog that frequents the same kennel for daycare as our dog. I’ll call him “Spot” to protect his privacy as I didn’t ask his permission to tell our story. Spot is an older and smaller dog. He spends a lot of time hanging out with the kennel’s staff at the front desk in the ...
The author of the column, "I'm certain there isn't an occupancy limit in heaven" (Faith Page, 7/31/26), expressed the thought that God's message of infinite mercy, love and grace" would seem to exclude "the concept of hell.” "We all form our understanding of who God is because of so many factors … After all, who is right? ... If you claim to know 'the Truth' ... you're wiser than I am." I would like to claim that God's Word is Truth. When being questioned by Pilate, the Roman governor in Jerusalem, Jesus was asked if he was indeed a king. Jesus explained that his kingdom ...
