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Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 I think I was in second grade when I underwent an Indiana rite of passage, and I had to make the choice.  I apologize that I do not remember all of the details, because it was over thirty years ago,  so I do not properly remember the context but I remember … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Micah 6:6-8 There are a lot of reasons why the music group Van Halen can be considered rock and roll legends.  They were on the forefront of developing a hard rock sound starting in the 1970s, and they set the blueprint for concerts that were arena filling spectacles.  The band was inducted into the … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Luke 18:1-8 In 1876 John Griffith Chaney was born into a poor working class family.  This was before child labor laws became consistently enforced and when the idea of all kids attending school was still fairly news and consistently implemented.  As a result, at the age of 13 he was working in a cannery … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 25:31-46 I remember way back when getting ready to be a parent for the first time, we bought and read all of the books about being a new parent only to quickly learn there is a LOT those books leave out.  One of the small things I was not prepared for, is just … [Read more…]

Auld Lang Syne is the official song of starting a new year.  If you managed to stay awake until midnight on January 1st, then there is a good chance you heard the song after watching a ball drop over Times Square.  With an archaic sounding phrase as the song title, it is sensible to assume … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Matthew 1:18-25 No doubt all of us have traditions that we have been engaging in all month.  Lots of areas of our lives have traditions and little rituals, but for many Christmas traditions tend to hold a special place.  There are a lot of Christmas traditions, but one that I know a lot of … [Read more…]

Scripture: Isaiah 35:1-10 In 2016 I was fortunate enough to attend a trip sponsored by the Indiana Conference to visit Israel.  I realize that such a journey is a luxury, but being able to make that trip was such a blessing because in a lot of ways it aided reading and understanding the bible.   Just … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Isaiah 11:1-10 After a year delay the Tokyo Olympic Games finally happened in 2021.  Unfortunately, at least state-side, the coverage of the games became dominated by one story.  Which was star gymnast Simone Biles withdrew herself from competition.   She did this because of what is referred to as the “twisties” which is where a … [Read more…]

In one of the years I was doing youth ministry, we ended up attracting a large group of teens from outside the church.  This happened because one youth invited another, who invited another, who invited another, and so on.   That year in December I had planned the last youth group of the year a week … [Read more…]

Scripture:  Isaiah 2:1-5 In 1914 after a series of political alliance and maneuvering set off what would become the First World War, the fighting began in earnest in August of that year.  The Advancement in technology from the last round of European wars was going to change the nature of conflict, but this did not … [Read more…]