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Scripture: Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Michel was born in France in 1503, and while he did not come for poverty or have any physical ailments stacked against him, he had hard time finding his footing once he was old enough to leave home.  He wanted a career in academia, but his first year of university was cut … [Read more…]

The calendar is weird this month.   Every year we culturally celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th.    This year, that date happens to fall on a Wednesday.  Also every year the date for Easter is calculated using an unusual formula.  It is the Sunday that comes after the first full moon that is on or after … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Jonah:3:1-5; 3:1-4:2 A long time ago when someone wanted to be current on the news, everyone would read the same local paper and watch Walter Cronkite on the evening news.  Today though there are multiple 24-7 cable news channels that all bring different spins and there are endless way to customize our news sources … [Read more…]

Scripture: 1 Samuel 3:1-10 It is a common complaint that Hollywood is all out of new ideas.  The fact that so many of the movies that have been released over recent years are either reboots of older movies or endless sequels to other movies seems to confirm this. The repeat of the same idea might … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Acts 19:1-7 We tend to think of traditions as practices that are set in stone and have been around forever.  Many of these traditions are so ingrained in us, we don’t even question when they began or why we do them.   We just assume it has always been done that way.  A good example … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Luke 2:22-40 Radio host and author Garrison Keillor was once referred to as “one of the most perceptive and witty commentators and bout Midwestern life.”   For years he would share these observations and witty remarks on his radio show a Prairie Home Companion.  The last episode of the show aired years ago at this … [Read more…]

Romans:16:25-27 Well, hopefully by today you have finished all of your Christmas shopping.  But that may not be true.  Apparently when it comes to buying Christmas gifts we all fall into one of two camps.   A 2022 survey found that 50% of people begin Christmas shopping in October or earlier, but then a 202 survey … [Read more…]

For many people the start of a new year means making resolutions.   About 45% of Americans take part in this tradition, and there is some logic to this practice.   Making a resolution is about setting a goal to strive for.  All goals have to have a starting point, so the beginning of a new year … [Read more…]

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 A topic that musicians and music lovers sometimes debate is the question of can there be a perfect song?   Part of the problem with even discussing the topic, is there is no agreement about what makes a song perfect.  An Esquire magazine article from years ago tried to tackle this topic … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Mark 1:1-8 The early 19th century was the very beginning of the industrial revolution, and one of the early innovations were more advanced weaving looms that were much faster than what traditional artisans could ever do.  This led to some resistance and a semi-organized group took to destroying these new machines of industry.  This … [Read more…]