None of us wanted to be in this position again. Covid came to two of my three kids' households over Christmas. My friend who is a clinic nurse picked up two weekend shifts on the floor beyond her regular 50 hour a week job because the major medical center where she works Read More...
Santa has a lot of territory to cover. So when our son Connor was a toddler, Santa came to our house on Christmas Eve. Somehow Santa always came by and left some goodies under the tree while we were at the 5:30 Children’s and Family service. This meant that we were on Read More...
It’s the season of gift giving where we try to figure out what glove size Aunt Betsy wears or if cousin Ella already has the soccer thingy she wanted. Is there a way to surprise your spouse with the gift he really wants but has not yet mentioned? All this online ordering, Read More...
I spent last Christmas Eve with 11 folks crammed in my basement watching our candlelight service via live stream. There was a certain charm to it. But this year I eagerly anticipate three in person services with all of you. Advent means waiting and the kind of waiting where we lean forward Read More...
“The surprise is not that, unexpectedly, things turn out better than expected. No, the real surprise is that God’s light is more real than all the darkness, that God’s truth is more powerful than all human lies, that God’s love is stronger than death.” Henri Nouwen As we approach Thanksgiving Day, we Read More...
The last few weeks have been more chaotic than typical. We moved out of our house to have some small rehab projects done. And though we were lavishly and lovingly cared for by local relatives who took us in and fed us and didn’t complain when the stay extended an extra week, Read More...
“This love between us was born from the first human; It cannot be eradicated As the river finds its way into the ocean What is inside me flows into you. (Isa Upanishad v. 6-7) Is there a love between humans that cannot be eradicated? The above text from Hindu poetry easily evokes Read More...
Rain, like mist, saturated the darkness. Something was odd. Too quiet. After passing a few houses on my block, I realized the power was out in much of the neighborhood. No compressor motors were running. No lights humming. It reminded me of the eerie quiet that settled over the city at the Read More...
Suddenly all the cars behind me were honking. Some folks were shouting obscenities in the direction of my orange hatchback. A uniformed official was waving at me and walking towards me. How was I supposed to know that exact change didn’t mean paper bills and coins equaling $3.50 but rather coins totaling Read More...
I have always been uncomfortable with the “week of the ministry” as set apart by our denominational leaders or even now by Hallmark. While it is nice to receive cards of gratitude, my own theology is that all of us are ministers. So what I do is not more special to God Read More...
Last Sunday was the culmination of six years of planning. I cannot begin to adequately thank the Centennial Steering Committee under the leadership of Peter and Lesley Holt, and Honorary Chairs Tom Van Dyke and Kay Barnes. And the entire clergy and staff team worked so hard for so long on the Read More...
On September 30, the City Council of Kansas City, Missouri, presented a special action resolution honoring our church’s Centennial. I was honored to receive the action, along with Lesley Holt, co-chair of the Centennial, from our member, Councilwoman Andrea Bough who also represents our district. It read in part...WHEREAS, the contributions of Read More...
Our church has had eight Senior Ministers in its first 100 years. I was lucky enough to know four of them and be one of them. Dr. Bash was small in stature but had a booming voice. Long before it was popular, he invited people of different faith traditions to gather Read More...
When I saw it for the first time, I cried. I held it in my hands and marveled. So much work. So much hope. So much beauty. So many stories. So much love. All wrapped into one book. The First Century of Service: A City Church by Dr. Linna Place captures what Read More...
As we approach the 20th anniversary of 9/11, I recall driving to pick up my kindergartener son on that tragic and eerie day. While the memories of horror are vivid for many of us, for others, including our youth minister who was only 8 years old at the time, it is something Read More...
