One of our pastors in my youth was a heavy man who admitted he was big even as a boy. Whenever he was preaching and got close to Galatians 6:7, he would tell the same story. Being able to tell the same story repeatedly as if it were the first time, is an artform passed from generation to generation, and not just to preachers. He would recount being assigned one hot muggy day to plant seven rows of corn in the backyard garden. The rows were already tilled. He was given a small bag of seed corn and a dowel stick of a precise length. The assignment was to poke a hole in the soil, place one seed in it, lay the stick down and poke a hole with the other end. To hear him tell it, he thought he would die after a few seeds. He was sweating, he was dirty, his knees hurt, and his back was beginning to ache. By the time he got to the top of the fourth row, he was done. He sat leaning on the fence when he had an idea. He would plant the first 3 or 4 seeds at the front of the remaining rows and bury the rest of the seeds in the back. His parents were so proud of him. He was so proud of himself for getting away with it.

It only took a couple of weeks for his deception to be discovered. The gardener always tends the details—looking for bugs and weeds and mischief. His father noticed the empty rows behind the tender shoots of corn. It was a mystery. Were there rabbits or birds raiding the garden? Eventually he saw the clump beginning to sprout by the fence. Reaping what you sow always means a day of reckoning has arrived. A better approach is to just be honest from the start.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Truth will prevail. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

Share this webpage:

This week marks the culmination of our partnership with our sister congregation, Iglesias Monte Los Olivos, The Mount Olive Church. What began as a group of believers seeking a church home has become a vibrant congregation with significant influence in our community. I am reflecting today on the impact our congregations have had on each other over these 25 years. They faithfully undergirded us with much prayer and hard work. They invested tens of thousands of dollars along with us into the facilities and outreach of our neighborhood. They have been very good co-laborers together in Christ.

A band of about 25 people, including children, gathered in our Fellowship Hall to organize as Departamento Salem. Their first Sunday with us was April 8, 2000, Palm Sunday. Ariel Benitz was chosen as their leader. We organized English classes (ESL), provided leadership training opportunities, and ordained their pastors and deacons to ministry and service. They steadily grew in numbers, eventually taxing the capacity of our Fellowship Hall. In 2010 they sought out a location of their own. They found and purchased an old church near Pine and N. Harvard. By 2013, they had outgrown that facility, and we invited everyone back to Braden Park. Lately we have been working toward transferring our church property to them, but recently the congregation felt compelled to purchase a church at 147 S. Sheridan Ave, about a mile east of us. This Sunday, June 29, we send them forth with our prayers and blessings. Pastor Francisco Gaona, who has been a friend and ministry partner to me, and the dedicated congregation will spread the Gospel light, expanding the Word of Christ deeper into our community. We are seeking God’s direction in new ministry partnerships and discipleship opportunities. Join with us in the discussions and the opportunities that are emerging before us.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

Share this webpage:

This is adapted from 2011: We never had the talk. You know, the “What we would do if he died” discussion about our bird. It might have helped. So here it is, a few days after our cockatiel Dini has died. We are still discussing funeral arrangements, looking for a proper burial site and asking about the right kind of headstone. Dini had been a part of the family for a very long time. We knew he was getting old, but we had never discussed these kinds of things. On Thursday he suffered an apparent stroke, affecting the left side of his body. He died on Saturday, May 7, as I was holding and comforting him in my hands. It was a bittersweet time. And yes, he was the very same bird that I set loose in church one Sunday morning in 1981. He became the object lesson of the longest running children’s sermon ever. (You can relive that story under the title Dini Goes to Church from October 2023.)

Dini was present for every meal in our kitchen since the day he was hatched, September 7, 1979. His cage had been by the kitchen table where he saw and heard everything. He always sang every time I came home. When we returned from a recent trip to Texas, he sang as loudly and vigorously as ever to the point Dorothy and I both commented on it. But we knew that old age was catching up with him. I guess we did not want to think that he would really die. He would lose his balance while sleeping and fall from his perch or be suddenly startled and fall from his perch. He would always climb his way back up, but he took to spending more and more time on the cage floor resting. He lived a remarkable 31 years and 8 months. We miss him. I just wish we had talked through this final part earlier. We included the family in the discussions. We settled on a resting place in the flowerbed just outside our kitchen door. We secured and had engraved a black granite brick, which reads:

Dini

9/7/1979 – 5/7/2011

He was a very good bird

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Talk the talk. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

Share this webpage:

One clear sign of a recession is that it will be harder to pinch pennies in the coming months. The Mint will stop making the penny when the one-cent blanks run out sometime in early 2026.  The last order for blank pennies to stamp has already been shipped. Apparently, it costs 3.69 cents to make each penny. Fun Fact: it presently costs 13.78 cents to make a nickel, 5.76 cents to make a dime, and 14.68 cents to make a quarter. I suspect the nickel may not be long for this world, unless they find a cheaper metal that cannot be easily counterfeited. The Federal Reserve 2022 Report estimated that $14 billion—about 60% of all coins in circulation—are kept in jars. The Wall Street Journal indicates that businesses will likely round up or down to the nearest nickel, but state and local governments are going to need to enact legislation when it comes to sales taxes such as the price of a gallon of gas at the pump, or a candy bar. And what about the penny loafer? It won’t be the same.

Hobbyists collecting pennies will increase. Grandchildren will inherit these collections with the hope that one day, maybe, they will be worth something. Banks will begin to take pennies out of circulation and the Treasury will seek to reclaim the metals. Cashless transactions will be first to round up (not down) quickly. If you can’t count on a penny anymore, what can you count on? 

A couple of days before his crucifixion, Jesus answered a question and later shared an observation about the place of money in our daily lives. To the anti-tax crowd, Jesus asked for a coin; to the religious crowd, Jesus pointed to a widow who understood gratitude to God. The Almighty Dollar, Gold Bar, or Crypto Currency is a petty little god. Choose wisely.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. A penny for your thoughts. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

Share this webpage:

“I Cannot Say the Lord’s Prayer” was written by an unknown believer. It speaks to the selfishness and greed of our times. Read it prayerfully.

I cannot say…Our—if my religion has no room for other people and their needs. I cannot say…Father—if I do not demonstrate this relationship in my daily life. I cannot say…Who art in Heaven—if all my interests and pursuits are earthly things. I cannot say…Hallowed be Thy Name—if I who am called by His name, am not holy. 

I cannot say…Thy kingdom come—if I am unwilling to give up my sovereignty and accept the reign of God. I cannot say…Thy will be done—if I am unwilling or resentful of having Him in my life. I cannot say…on earth as it is in Heaven—unless I am truly ready to give myself to His service here and now.

I cannot say…Give us this day our daily bread—without expending honest effort for it or by ignoring the needs of my fellowmen. I cannot say…Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors—if I continue to harbor a grudge against anyone. I cannot say…Lead us not into temptation—if I deliberately choose to remain in a situation where I am likely to be tempted. I cannot say…Deliver us from evil—if I am not prepared to fight in the spiritual realm with the weapon of prayer.

I cannot say…Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, the Glory—if I do not give disciplined obedience, if I fear what neighbors and friends may say or do, if I seek my own glory first. I cannot say…Amen—unless I can honestly say also, cost what it may, this is my prayer!

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Live truthfully. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

Share this webpage:

There is no such thing as too many books for those of us who love to read and explore. My personal library of books on shelves and in closets is well over 2,000. A wonderful lady named Mickey Allio catalogued my books for 15 years or so. She made an old-fashioned library card catalog of each book by title, author and subject. Mickey, along with Mary Harlan, Alice Emminger, Irene Gant, Raedelle Plummer and Pansy Beaman, created our church’s versatile library. They loved knowing that I worked my way through college and seminary working in those schools’ libraries.

My personal library is partially for research. Good research involves learning the various viewpoints from a variety of authors with diverse backgrounds. If I am not willing to be taught to expand my thinking, I will only stagnate in my own limited understandings.  I weed my garden of books once or twice a year. I place those books in a box to give away or sell. I cannot bear to see a book destroyed. I oppose the banning of books and the arts. There should be restrictions for age appropriateness, of course. A church library has concerns about appropriate content that differentiates it from public or personal libraries. Librarians are skilled in making wise choices.

I take heart to know that I’m not alone with my enjoyment of books. One of my mentors said that any book was worth the price if it provided a good sermon illustration. I still use that excuse to read more books. Some people tell me they have not read a book in a couple of years or more—too busy, too tired, too much TV, and the ever-present phone in hand. Wander through a library, visit a bookstore or let me give you a book. What do you need to discover today?

 Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Open your world. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

Share this webpage:

Anna Jarvis (1864-1948) is the recognized founder of Mother’s Day. At the close of a Sunday School lesson in 1876, Anna’s mother is quoted as saying, I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mothers day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it. Thirty years later, after her mother’s death, Anna led her Methodist church to have a memorial service commending the role of mothers, handing out 500 white carnations on May 10, 1908. By the 1920’s she became disgusted with the way Mother’s Day had been commercialized and loudly voiced her regret at being its founder: A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy! You take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself. A pretty sentiment!  Anna Jarvis never married and had no children of her own.

Mother’s Day is a day for reflection on the role our mothers have played in our lives, yet, for many it is a day filled with conflicted emotions and regret. The first Mother’s Day after a mother has died is often incredibly painful, as well as all the Mother’s Days following the loss of a child. As a pastor, I feel the heart cry of the couples who wanted children, but it did not/could not happen. I hear the pain of the “unwanted.” I listen to incredibly difficult stories of mother-child animosities and abusive addictions. I see the broken hearts of the grandmothers who have their grandchildren torn from them by divorce or court order. Yet, God has given us a rich gift in our complicated and sometimes messy families. Through it all, you and I have become who we are because God’s love has embraced us, nurtured us, and redeemed us. 

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Encourage a mother. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

Share this webpage:

Our sister congregation, Monte Los Olivos, announced that they were withdrawing from our Master Property Agreement to pursue the purchase of their own property. The primary reason stated is that our facility is too large and expensive to maintain. The experience this winter of the furnace breaking down, with an initial estimated replacement cost of $65,000, caused them to reevaluate their future with us. We have since authorized repairs that are costing around $20,000. There is also the reality that the sanctuary air conditioning system is very old and outdated. For instance, the freon that it uses has been phased out, and there is a small freon leak in the main unit. The cost to add this old-style freon is several thousand dollars each summer. Monte Los Olivos has placed a bid for a nearby church, which was accepted. Their closing date is set for May 20.  

I quickly informed the congregation over the weekend and the church met for a deep discussion following the worship hour. The meeting explored a full range of facts and ideas on the next steps our congregation should explore. By the end of the hour, the church, acting with grace and unity, committed to all changes that are needed to advance the mission of our church in reaching our community. This commitment includes keeping our facilities (including that leaky air conditioner) fully repaired and up to date; utilizing funds from the White City Foundation strategically as necessary; and prayerfully seeking God’s direction in ministry partnerships. The spirit in the room on Sunday was awesome. It was as sweet a time of discussion and discernment as I have ever seen in the life of our congregation. The people were as one.

While there are all the emotions associated with grief and sudden change, we know that God is with us, guides us, and answers our prayers. Thank you for praying with us, ministering alongside us, and sharing in the unfolding future before us.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Prepare to be amazed. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

Share this webpage:

What goes through your mind when you read about the fake news story in the Bible? This might be a good time to turn in your Bible to Matthew 28:11-15 and read it for yourself. I will wait before I go further with this reflection. You do need to read it first.

What are the hallmarks of fake news? According to this passage, the point is to devise a story to cover-up something. It is to set-forth an alternate account of what really took place as a distraction. Powerful and influential people are involved. It includes witness tampering and bribery. It indicates an inconvenient truth is the first casualty of pride. 

In our day, fake news is also used as a smear against a known truth.  It is designed to provide alternate talking points as a smokescreen to change the subject. It can become the ultimate he said, she said, adeadlock of ideas. The goal is to provide a plausible denial of reality. 

Why is this story even in the Bible at all? Because the fake news story was still being talked about when the gospel of Matthew was being written, some thirty or so years after Jesus. It was written as a warning to us all. It shows us the way to counter the fake story: seek out verifiable facts, eyewitness accounts, and those directly impacted by the results of the account. Fake news is a lie, a coverup, and a distraction. It is an effective form of gossip. It is a kind of dishonesty many of us have resorted to.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Seek truth. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

Share this webpage:

W. E. Sangster (1900-1960) was a Methodist minister centered in London for the last twenty years of his life. In preparation for the Nazi Blitz of the second world war, Rev. Sangster, had the church basement fortified outside and in. His family moved into a room in that basement and invited anyone to find refuge in the basement who needed a place of safety. His wife began cooking evening meals for everyone for the five years of the war. He preached sermons as he could on Sundays in the much-damaged church, but what the people asked was that he lead evening prayers and give a word of hope from the Bible each night. In the encyclopedia, 20 Centuries of Great Preaching, by Pinson and Fant, W. E. Sangster’s life story is told, and five full sermon manuscripts are included, revealing the pastoral heart of this man who had himself served in World War 1, and several small churches as pastor.

You may have noticed that he died when he was not quite 60 years old. Following the war, he coordinated efforts of evangelism and home missions for the Methodist Church across Great Britain. He was diagnosed in his mid-fifties with an aggressive muscular atrophy. His daughter wrote a tribute to her father shortly after his death. In her tribute she included this written note from his last Easter day, when he could no longer walk or talk. He wrote: It is terrible to wake up on Easter morning to have no voice with which to shout, ‘He Is Risen!’— but it would be still more terrible to have a voice and not want to shout. 

Easter is this Sunday. How will you be spending this Resurrection Day? They say it may rain or even storm, or possibly not. Come celebrate Jesus and shout, ‘He Is Risen!’

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. He Is Risen Indeed! And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

Share this webpage: