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On Ash Wednesday, we bowed our heads and heard the solemn words, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” With ashes traced on our foreheads, we named our sins honestly before God: our blindness to human need and suffering, our indifference to injustice and cruelty, our false judgments, uncharitable thoughts toward … [Read more…]

Are you ready for Christmas Easter? As the calendar turns toward spring, congregations naturally begin to think about Lent and Easter. Yet in many churches, these seasons receive far less intentional preparation than Advent and Christmas. This imbalance is understandable—Christmas arrives with cultural momentum, decorations appear in stores months in advance, and expectations are clearly defined. Still, … [Read more…]

Beyond the Gym: A New Year Commitment to Spiritual Fitness Every January, the advertisements appear with predictable enthusiasm. Health clubs promise transformation. Exercise equipment commercials feature before-and-after photos. Apps and programs insist that this is the year to become stronger, leaner, and healthier. These messages are not without value. Caring for the body is an … [Read more…]

Every time I get to this season of the year, both Christian and secular, I become a bit nostalgic. I keep thinking back to a time in my life in the past – I really cannot pinpoint what year it is – and I recall the simplicity of Advent and Christmas. And every year, Jodi … [Read more…]

Some years ago I was at a small country church, right about this time of the year in fact. There had been a choir made up of people who called the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, their home. They had traveled from Chicago to worship with us that morning and to sing a presentation later … [Read more…]

Being a pastor can sometimes be just as perilous and scary as walking a tightrope high above the streets of New York, without a net, without a safety harness. You need to focus on moving whichever way you need to without intentionally upsetting everything going on around you. The fact of the matter is that … [Read more…]

On November 12, 1833, there was a meteor shower so intense that it was possible to see up to 100,000 meteors crossing the sky every hour. At the time, many thought it was the end of the world. It inspired this woodcut by Adolf Vollmy. The first thing the people experiencing the meteor shower in … [Read more…]

There are 5 words that when used together in a single sentence make a lot pastors cringe. “It says in the bible …” Not too long ago I was talking to someone who brought up those very words; it says in the bible. In this case they were talking about two hot button topics in … [Read more…]

July 1, 2024. That was the day I was officially appointed to begin ministry here at North Judson United Methodist Church. Bishop Julius Trimble and Rev. Dr. Marti Lundy, along with the rest of the cabinet, prayed for direction as to who to move to take on guiding the mission and ministry of this congregation … [Read more…]

Friday, June 6, 1980 was graduation day from Luther South High School at the corner of 87th Street and Kedzie Avenue in Chicago. Graduation and the weekend following have long since faded in my memories. For me, it was Monday June 9th that stands out in my memory. That was the day everything in my … [Read more…]