A year ago, I visited for the first time in my life, the place where Jesus likely hung on a cross to die. We sat in lush green garden with sweet smelling flowers and looked out a dusty red earthen hillside on the edge of a rugged curved road. We sat in Read More...
It has been a heavy week. After spending 13 weeks worried about a pandemic, we added a worry about the fabric of our community. Would the fibers hold or fray? It would be easy to give in to despair. Perhaps like you, I began to relive moments of my own narrative where Read More...
As our community is beginning to lift some of the restrictions on public gatherings I want to share with you an update on our plans as a church community. I have been in conversation with other area faith leaders, congregations of our size across the country, our church board and staff. We Read More...
A young father recently told me, “I am realizing that our family doesn’t need more vacations, we just need to spend time at home hanging out together and enjoying each other.” And my son drove home from Nashville last night and at our dinner table he proclaimed, “Wow, it’s so good to Read More...
How would you finish that sentence? Please email me or text me (816-381-9253) with your completion to that sentence. Here are a few from where I sit... Now more than ever, I am enjoying sitting down to dinner with my husband every night and savoring a home cooked meal. Now more than Read More...
Each of us has our own perspective on Mother’s Day. You may reflect on the experience of your own mother or your journey of being a mother. The two characteristics I celebrate most on Mother’s Day are tender nurture and tenacious strength. Growing up I felt my Mom’s tender nurture through lovingly Read More...
As the days drag on, the earth bursts forth in beauty. I find my heart ricocheting between savoring the now and worrying about the future. So I thought today we could sit back and notice the signs of hope around us and within us. Volunteerism is up. Applications to volunteer in New Read More...
This Sunday will be our seventh Sunday to meet for worship via live stream rather than in person. We began on Sunday, March 15. Three days prior to that a nurse friend told me, “Churches probably need to take a few weeks off and then come back boldly with a huge grand Read More...
One week after Easter, Thomas still doubts that Jesus has risen from the dead. He wants to see for himself the mark of the nails in Jesus’ side and in his hands. Sometimes we give Thomas a hard time and call him “doubting Thomas” but Thomas gets the same view that the Read More...
Today is Good Friday. But every day for the last several weeks has felt a bit like Good Friday. We watch the death toll rise and we stay inside. We pray with deeper fervor. We fear what will happen next to the economy and the ones we love. We wonder when good Read More...
When I teach Old Testament I often say you really need to know these two words: exile and exodus. People can picture exodus, that moment when the Red Sea was parted by Moses and the people of God exited slavery in Egypt and trounced through the desert seeking a new life. But Read More...
As your pastor I want to be strong. But I would be lying if I told you have not had some sleepless nights and some melt-down moments. At times my heart feels full and I know for certain that we will emerge stronger at the end of this. But at other times Read More...
Fifty women with white hair slip demurely into the carved wooden choir stalls, bow their heads to pray and then sweetly sing “O God break the teeth in their mouths.” I was shocked. Is this phrase really in the Bible? A few minutes later we sing, “Let those who seek to hurt Read More...
A virus. A tornado. A rapidly shifting political scene. And that was just by Wednesday! How do you and I as people of faith, respond to the volatility? First, the virus. Jesus focused much of his energy on healing the sick. Without antibiotics or IV’s, Jesus had compassion on those with incurable Read More...
“I have no problem giving up alcohol for the 40 days of Lent” my friend told me. “But if I try to say no to a glass of wine other times of the year, it seems impossible. I don’t know why that is.” This conversation with my friend got me to thinking Read More...
