What a fellowship. What a joy divine …. – from the hymn Leaning On The Everlasting Arms by E.A Hoffman, 1887 Dear Caldwell, When I arrived home Sunday after a full day of study, worship and reunion with you, the words above from the old hymn were swimming through my head. What a lovely embrace …
Dear Caldwell, For yet another week, it seems I write to you in the wake of another faith-shaking event. One news report noted that there have been 900 shooting-related events at elementary schools since the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary, where a gunman killed 20 children and six adults in 2012. Now a small town …
Dear Caldwell, All weekend long I thought about Myra and Richard Harrison Sr. As the news of the horrific act of terror in Buffalo developed, all I could think about was how our late member Richard Harrison, through the powerful influence of his parents, Myra and Richard, helped change Buffalo for the better. Richard, as …
Dear Caldwell, As people of faith (or at least trying) there are so often two ways for us to view life: Do our spirits reflect the abundance we have in God (even when we may not have material abundance) or does our spirit reflect a view rooted in scarcity? On Sunday, we witnessed abundance. With …
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. – Jesus in John 14:27 Dear Caldwell, As people of faith, we inevitably straddle two spaces – the one our faith defines and …
Dear Caldwell, Happy Wednesday, church. I wrote last week about how, in Eastertide, we can look for signs of hope in a hurting world on each of the 50 days of this holy season of resurrection. The infamous Mike Watson likes to remind me sometimes that “faith is a verb.” In other words, it is …
Dear Caldwell, I find it interesting that the season of Easter – called Eastertide – lasts 50 days when so many other major spans of time in the Bible and in Christian life last 40 days. The great flood lasted 40 days, as did the period of time Goliath mocked the Israelites. Moses, Elijah and …
Dear Caldwell, Tomorrow we begin what ancient Christians called the Triduum, or the Three Days, from Maundy Thursday through the mystery of Good Friday and Holy Saturday to the final and conclusive triumph of Easter. This arc, from life to death to new life, offers a chance to reflect on the full human experience we …
Life, Death and Resurrection: Traveling The Triduum Read More »
Dear Caldwell, I imagine a few of us are a little bleary eyed today after staying up to watch the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. It was give and take, back and forth until the end. Whether he actually said the words or not, it was another moment when broadcaster Jim Nance might have employed that …
Dear Caldwell I don’t know about you, but I just can’t get used to seeing the news coverage of the war in Ukraine. And I suppose I should not want to. I remember seeing coverage of the Viet Nam conflict on the NBC Huntley-Brinkley report, a staple in my childhood household. Some historians and social …
