March 2, 2021
Centered, not bounded. This is one way to describe how we orient ourselves as people of faith. We are centered on Jesus, the Christ, instead of patrolling the perimeter – the boundaries. We choose to turn our whole lives toward Jesus so we keep him in view and allow him to be the primary influence […]
Read postFebruary 24 – March 2, 2021
As we enter these first weeks of Lent, I want to extend a blessing written and shared by Jan Richardson (one of my favorite poets and artists – janrichardson.com). This blessing circles around the word ‘beloved.’ This is the name Jesus heard at his baptism, before he went into the wilderness; it is the same […]
Read postFebruary 17-23, 2021
Holy and tender God, when we look at the suffering in the world, it breaks our hearts. We see and feel: sorrow, sadness, despair, rage, betrayal and fear; lack of healthcare for hurting people, violence, injustice, hunger; angry, defeated, frightened, shut down, at a total loss; thankful for own blessings, what is indescribable; powerless, guilty, […]
Read postFebruary 10-16, 2021
Before I left home and went to college, I didn’t have much need for maps. The roads in northeastern Ohio were familiar and my memory usually dependable when I did venture farther away from home. But when I started driving myself to Kansas, I depended on the trusty atlas tucked beside the seat in my […]
Read postFebruary 3-9, 2021
My eyes were opened reading the Gospel of Luke at a period of my life where I felt directionless. The Spirit of God used these stories of welcome to folks who were outsiders, or who needed healing, or who needed mercy to open my heart to others around me. For that reason, I feel blessed […]
Read postJanuary 27-February 2, 2021
We follow Jesus together, not alone, across barriers that try to keep us divided. These words summarize the priorities of the global Anabaptist family we are a part of in Mennonite World Conference. This past Sunday we shared some of the Anabaptist World Fellowship Sunday worship resources provided by our brothers and sisters in Asia. […]
Read postJanuary 20-26, 2021
I know I join many of you in wondering what this week will hold for our nation. May our anchor be prayer to the God of the Universe who truly is larger than our fears, and the source of our trust be Jesus, who leads us on toward a love that defies human understanding and […]
Read postJanuary 13-19, 2021
During Pastor Tonya’s introduction to the Luke sermon series on “The Jesus Way”, she mentioned Alexander John Shaia’s summary of the “four gospels path.” For Shaia, each gospel explores a different question: Matthew, “how do we face change?” Mark, “how do we move through suffering?” John, “how do we receive joy?” Luke, “how do we […]
Read postJanuary 6-12, 2021
“Star the New Year!” I’m curious if any of you caught my typo in the email I sent last week about the Personal Compass Journaling Exercise? It took me awhile, but then I saw it: “Personal Compass Journaling Exercise to star the New Year?” Then I kept noticing the trouble I was having with typing […]
Read postDecember 23, 2020-January 5, 2021
“O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray, cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today! We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell. O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Immanuel.” (Phillip Brooks – O Little Town of Bethlehem) Christmas Greetings from Pastor Tonya: […]
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