February 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: […]
Read postDecember 16-22, 2020
“Mary, consenting to what none could guess, replied with conviction, “tell God I say yes.” (John L. Bell in “No Wind at the Window” STS 11) Power. We might not think about Mary exercising power, but in her ‘yes’ she was using her own power to act. This is what power is: the ability to […]
Read postDecember 9-15, 2020
Our hearts are empty without YouBarren and coldBut for the boldHope that You YourselfPlanted within In the mighty name of GodIn the saving name of JesusIn the strong name of the SpiritWe comeWe cryWe watchWe waitWe lookWe long for you Sometimes we long for the morningFor a refrainFrom etchings in painYet our lonelinessDraws us to […]
Read postDecember 2-8, 2020
Voluminous best describes the piles of dust I swept up last night in our kitchen. Did you know this is what you’ll find when you don’t move your refrigerator for 10 years? Maybe you are better about cleaning under your appliances than we are! As I scrubbed serious grime from the floor, I was thinking […]
Read postNovember 25 – December 1, 2020
I waited patiently for the Lord He turned to me and heard my cry He lifted me up out of the slimy pit out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on the rock He gave me a firm place to stand He put a new song in my mouth […]
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