06/08/2025

I collect recipes. I have some passed down from family members on 3”x5” cards. They are those family favorites that every family has in their collection. A few years ago, I discovered an internet app called “Paprika”, which allows recipes to be stored online. It has access to other recipe sites like Tast of Home and Gourmet magazines, famous chefs and cooks like Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsey, Paula Dean, and many others, as well as TV shows like America’s Test Kitchen and The Kitchen. It is possible to find almost any recipe imaginable and download it to the app. I now have amassed a collection which I could not make in three lifetimes.

    The closest we come to a recipe in scripture is the list of items included in Passover, but there are lots of references to food, drink, and eating. When Esau comes in from a fruitless hunt, he is captivated by the smell of red beans cooking. My fantasy sees this as an early example of chili (unless you come from Texas where no beans are included). Love Feast and communion give us other continuing examples. Food becomes an occasion for celebration, fellowship, even worship and spiritual insight, especially from Jesus as the spiritual Bread of Life.

06/01/2025

“Whether I live or die, whether I wake or sleep, whether upon the land or on the stormy deep; When ‘tis serene and calm or when the wild winds blow, I shall not be afraid.  I am the Lord’s, I know . . .

        Nothing shall separate from His unbounded love, neither in depths below nor in the heights above; And in the years to come, He will abide with me; I am the Lord’s, I know, for all eternity.”

So read two of the verses from Charles W. Naylor’s hymn, I Am the Lord’s, I Know with music by D. Otis Teasley. Based on Romans 8:35 – 39, the gentle melody brings a comforting peace to both the singer and the hearer. We are reminded of the continuing care of God for us. We cannot be separated by any external force or circumstance from God’s inexhaustible love for us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Whether we have much or little, whether we are accepted or rejected by the world around us, whether we feel high or low emotionally, we know that we belong to the Lord and we know He will love and care for us now and for eternity. I am the Lord’s, I know.

05/25/2025

    First read the directions is a common sense admonition. So often we have proven the wisdom of the counsel when we did not follow it.  Not all instruction sheets are very well-written. It is a real skill to write clear and complete instructions. Experienced workers can leave out an “obvious” step because they are so used to the process. We first-timers may not find the missing step at all obvious. Words may have differing meanings. We may find a recipe which ends with the line, “cook until done.” The beginner finds such instruction frustrating, at best.

    For the growing Christian, reading the instructions in the Bible can save a multitude of mistakes. Generally the Bible’s directions are clear even if we don’t want to obey them, but some do require us to think through their meaning. Scripture says, “What does the Lord require of you: to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”  The direction is quite clear but we may well spend a lifetime working out the details of such commands. We must not only do what this verse instructs but must always stay open to its ever-evolving meanings.

05/18/2025

Every so often, I get the urge to read a western novel. This started when I was a youngster reading Zane Grey’s novels like “Riders of the Purple Sage”. Over the years, I have read many other westerns by a variety of authors. Many of the plots are interchangeable and rely on standardized stereotypes.  The bad guys are clear and obvious. There is the gunfight, the unexpected romance. Some of that has changed through the years. Older westerns seemed always to have a resolution and even a happy ending. Modern westerns can be a bit more raw and the ending may not be very positive. Perhaps this reflects some of the confusion of modern life. In our world the villains do not wear black hats to contrast the white hats of the good guys. It is more difficult to identify who is who. Easy solutions and happy endings often seem to be in short supply. However, now as always it is their actions, moral and immoral, that best show us who are the good and who are not. It is still difficult to figure out. Probably it always has been and the standard western was more optimistic than realistic. Still in the end as Jesus said, “By their fruit you shall know them.” Still good guidance even in our confusing world.

05/11/2025

Are you too important to take a day off or a vacation? There was a time in my life when I thought I should be working all the time. In college I often took the maximum number of hours each semester that the school allowed, plus was involved in all manner of other activities. It took me many years to learn that was not what God required.

I was finally instructed by the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) that God “rested” on the seventh period of creation, and commanded his people to rest on the seventh day, as well. The command was for their well-being-- physically, mentally, spiritually, and socially. It was not just for God’s people but for their whole society. In addition, God prescribed a series of festival observances during the year as more extended times outside of work. I learned that if I was to do my best work I needed time to think and process, not just flail away at my work.

 Good sermons require time for thought and reflection. Good decisions require time to think through the impact of those decisions.. The old idioms had it -- “Decide in haste, repent at leisure.” As usual, God’s way always turns out better than our hasty way.

05/04/2025

“Dear Lord, take up the tangled strands where we have wrought in vain, that by the skill of Thy dear hands some beauty may remain.  Transformed by grace divine. The glory shall be Thine; to Thy most holy will, O Lord, we now our all resign.”

This is the first verse of a hymn by Mrs. F. G. Burroughs. It captures the wonderful power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to transform the lives of human beings…a power which continues to operate even to the present day.

It happened to Mary Magdalene, and to the Apostle Paul, to Teresa of Avila, to Martin Luther, to John Knox and John Wesley. It happened to Fanny Crosby and Mother Teresa of Calcutta…to famous and unknown people down through the centuries. It is still happening today. It has happened to people sitting at the other end of the pew from us and to people from the far reaches of the world. It has happened to young people and aged adults. It will continue to happen even when present generations have passed from the scene.

It is the transforming power of God’s love.  It will never end!

04/27/2025

A photograph or a painting is two-dimensional, while a sculpture is three-dimensional. Time is often described as the fourth dimension. We can see the first three dimensions but we have real difficulty in seeing time. We notice its results but we don’t really perceive it. This is especially difficult for children. Until about 9 or 10, children have little concept of time.  They may be able to recite the numbers on a digital clock or the position of the hands on a clock face, but they do not have an inner understanding of the meaning of time. 

God, we believe, can see time, but our human view is much more limited. Scientists postulate that there may be other dimensions beyond space and time but we can only imagine them. Perhaps heaven is another dimension beyond our understanding. There is so much that we do not know. We do know that there are sounds too high and too low for us to hear. Even our sight is limited with some forms of light that we can’t see with the naked eye.

04/20/2025

A pastor friend of mine had a mini crisis when he faced his first Easter as a minister in Minnesota. In his previous church, he had always used the coming of spring as a metaphor for Easter. A Minnesota Holy Week snowstorm necessitated a change of metaphor. The glory of a snow-covered Easter landscape did not have the same cachet as a flowery spring landscape. He and Easter both survived and celebrated the resurrection and new life effectively. While Easter is far more than the rebirth of the seasons, I have always found that the re-emerging of spring brings Easter to my mind. The brave first flowers emerging from their tomb-like bulbs into colorful life, the sudden surprise green of the new leaves, the bright green grass displacing the brown of winter, all speak to me of new beginnings. Even in the snowy cold of a Minnesota Easter, the glory of Easter shines forth for me with the power of a new beginning, new hope, a new life in the power of the resurrection. “Christ the Lord is risen today!” “He is risen indeed!”

04/13/2025

While my daughters were in the Anderson Highland Band, we spent every 4th of July in Chesterfield watching our daughters march in the 4th of July parade. They wore their Highland wool kilts and heavy wool jackets. I never saw any of the band members faint, but Indiana in July has weather totally unsuited to woolen garments. Often by the end their faces were bright red from the heat. Even so, they loved marching in the parade and we loved watching them. I love a parade any time. This is Palm Sunday with a parade Jesus set up, but the response was spontaneous. People spread branches and colorful garments on the path of Jesus and the donkey. There were cheers and chants: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna to the Son of David.” The followers of Jesus were ecstatic over the reception which Jesus received. There were, of course, detractors who wished to stamp out the pageantry and silence the enthusiastic voices. But Jesus accepted the idolization and proclaimed to the nay Sayers, “If these were silent, the very rocks would cry out!” Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!

04/06/2025

     A few days ago, I found a bargain. I was at Trader Joe’s grocery store. White eggs were over seven dollars a dozen, but brown eggs were $3.49 a dozen (limited to one dozen per customer). I jumped on that (not literally) even at that price, of course. Eggs are one of my favorite foods--soft boiled, fried, poached, scrambled--I like them all, except for the current cost. They are an ideal complete protein. They have even been revised nutritionally in regard to cholesterol dangers.

     This time of year I have such good memories of coloring eggs for Easter. It is a fond childhood recollection. I remember with delight decorating the eggs for Easter with my daughters. It felt like a rite of Spring. Eggs even have religious symbolism across many traditions. One of my students gave me an Easter egg with the white and yolk blown out and the shell decorated in the intricate Eastern Orthodox tradition. It is a fragile delicate thing, empty like the tomb of Jesus, a beautiful symbol of the resurrection. We hang it on the Christmas tree to remember Jesus’ birth, life, teaching, death, and  resurrection. It is another reminder of his continuing presence.

03/30/2025

Sometimes I carry in my pocket a Leatherman mini-tool. It is a handy little device which folds up to a one by two and a half inch package. Unfolded it has a 5 inch or 12 millimeter rule, a sturdy pair of pliers, a wrench, a flathead screwdriver, a can opener, a bottle opener, a file, and a knife. It even has a leather carry case with a belt loop. It is a rugged well-engineered tool. I am amazed at the multi-function design. There are also larger versions of the tool. It reminds me of a Boy Scout piece of equipment to fit the motto, “Be prepared”. I can’t say that I use it frequently, but when I need it I am glad that I have it.  With it, I feel a bit more ready to face the small emergencies of life. Christians have generally believed that Jesus will some day return to the earth and that it is part of our job to be ready when he returns.  Unfortunately, there is no handy little tool to make us ready. Perhaps it is what an earlier generation meant by “being prayed up”. At least it means being at peace with God and our fellow beings. It is about inner soul readiness that will welcome His return. “Maranatha, even so Lord Jesus, come!”

03/23/2025

Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist. His wealth came from the steel industry, but he was known for his great philanthropy. He donated to many different causes for the betterment of United States citizens. However, he was notably less generous as an employer. Human beings can be quite complicated with empathy in one area and lack of empathy in another. That being said, Carnegie had a profound effect on the nation through his gifts. The first time that as a child I encountered his name was his gifts to establish libraries in the U.S. As a child of limited means, the Carnegie library in our town seemed like finding a treasure chest. All these books which could be read at no cost! What a wonder that seemed--a gateway to both the real world and the imaginary one. The state with the most Carnegie libraries was Indiana. In addition to libraries in the U.S. there were over 1,200 scattered across the English-speaking world. The purpose of great wealth should always be to make the world a better place. So should it be for our small wealth. I wish that Andrew Carnegie was a flawless hero, but I do know that his gift of a small-town library benefited one little boy who loved to read and learn. So, thank you, Andrew Carnegie, for your gifts, especially to the young readers and learners.

03/16/2025

Were you bothered by the springtime switch to Daylight Savings Time? Many people are. Apparently the change can affect your mood and even your health. Statistics indicate that more heart attacks occur in the spring forward time change than in the surrounding days. More suicides occur in the same timeframe. Judges hand down more stringent sentences and all of us are more irritable than normal. In general it is a bad time to make major decisions. There are a cluster of cells in our brains that control our inner clock. These cells are triggered by morning light which sets our internal clocks. Artificial light can fool these cells and mess with our bodies. So, if you found Sunday and Monday at the time change exhausting, it was probably more than just missing one hour of sleep. Isn’t it amazing that simple light can have such a profound effect on our bodies and minds? Perhaps that is why the Bible so often uses light to talk about God and our relationship with him. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “I am the Light of the World”, and in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples, “You are the light of the world.” So our job is to let that light shine all over the world. “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine!”

03/09/2025

My children already know not to expect a great financial windfall as an inheritance after my death. They are well aware of the financial limitations of ministry and teaching at a Christian university. I would love to be able to leave millions for their care after I am gone.  They do have an inheritance of a different sort.  They do know that they have been loved by their parents and grandparents. They know that love is extended down to grandchildren, as well. They have learned kindness and seen hard work in action. They are quite conscious of the need for service for God and those around them. Not least of all, they have been introduced to Jesus Christ, and have been encouraged to follow His way.  As it is expressed in Ephesians 1:13 – 14, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit who is the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of His glory.”  How could there ever be a greater inheritance than that?

03/02/2025

    There is an old saying that says “Cleanliness is next to godliness.”  I don’t really think that is accurate. I do believe that it is useful and healthy to wash regularly and keep oneself physically clean. I have been next to people who could use a good wash and it is not pleasant. None of us want to have our scent arrive before we do, or linger after we have departed, but there are more important things in life. Some people have situations and conditions that make sweet smelling difficult.

    In many ways, physical cleanliness is the outside of the cup. Recently I reached for a cup for my morning coffee and discovered that it was a dirty cup mistakenly put in with the clean cups. From the outside it looked pristine, but the white porcelain inside was dark with coffee stains.

     Sometimes our outward appearance may be immaculate, but our spirits could still be full of sin and hatred. We are at our best when we are not just clean outside but when our whole soul is clean.  Our scripture often used for Ash Wednesday reminds us “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”

02/23/2025

Have you thought about how important medicines are for many of us? Some that we use are literally life savers. Without some of them our health and even our lives would be in jeopardy. Last Sunday, the driving conditions were so treacherous that we and many other churches cancelled services. I had just finished getting the snow off the car when the cancellation message came in. I went back in the house and changed to casual clothes. As I settled in with a fresh cup of coffee, I began to think about how I would get out in an emergency.  What if I was out of one of my vital medications? I had enough for that moment, but what if there was a long-term emergency lasting weeks or months? What would we do then?

I was in no danger that Sunday except in my imagination. I am thankful for effective medications and their availability. Is there a spiritual medicine available to us? I think so, but it must be more than, “Take 2 verses of John, chapter 3, and call me in the morning!”  It is rather found in the committed study of scripture. We have to keep taking it in all our lives in order to fully experience its protection and help.     “Thy Word have I had in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.” Psalm 119:11

02/16/2025

Among our family treasures are shadow profiles of our two daughters. Even though the details of their features are missing, the outline of each is clearly recognizable. The profiles do not do full justice to who they were at the time. As active children, no static representation could demonstrate their life energy. The word “profile” has many other uses. It can be used in business to describe a company. It can be used in hiring to define the abilities of a candidate who is applying for employment. It can be used to describe the achievements of an award winner. In politics, it may be used to support someone seeking office. In none of these cases is it adequate to reveal the whole situation. Currently, congregational leaders are filling out a congregational profile for the South-Central Indiana District of the Church of the Brethren, which will also go to the Church of the Brethren national offices. The profile is quite detailed with many questions to be filled out. As extensive as the profile is, it cannot be the full picture of the congregation. Until we actually live and work together, we do not  have an adequate view of who we are as a congregation, but the profile does reveal much about us, and will be valuable for someone wishing to know us better. Deeper knowledge will come only as we live and work together.

02/09/2025

The first five books of the Bible are known as the Torah. Often the Hebrew word is translated as “law”. While that is correct as one of its meanings, the word Torah has broader meaning. Genesis through Deuteronomy are often described as the Five Books of the Law. They do contain many rules that we would describe as law, but they also contain many things that clearly are not law as we think of it.  Much of the material could best be described as narrative or story. There are examples of poetry in the five books. Parts of Deuteronomy read more like sermons than legal pronouncements. The first eleven chapters of Genesis seem to be stories illuminating theological ideas. The literature of the five is complex and challenging. If we understand the broader meaning of Torah, this all makes sense. Torah is probably best understood as “teaching” or “instruction”. “Law” is part of that teaching or instruction, but so are the stories. All this provides guidance as to what God expected of the people of Israel and it contains much that can instruct us, as well, in our walk of faith.

02/02/2025

What do you do with your old clothes? My grandparents lived by the philosophy, “Make it last, use it up, go without, and save it up.” I have not really followed those rules. Few in our culture do. We try to be responsible and donate our outgrown clothes to Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or others that can recycle them, but even so, much of the worn-out clothing ends up in landfill or burned for fuel. The synthetic materials end up (as I understand it) releasing small bits of plastic into the environment as dangerous pollutants.

    Clothing manufacturers even design garments to last a short time. Finding a heavy white t-shirt which is not semi-transparent is increasingly difficult. I have read that some manufacturers have even designed garments for only one-time use.

    Perhaps my grandparents were not so far off. Could I learn to darn my favorite socks when I wear a hole in them? Could I buy used clothes that are in good condition and save them from landfill? Do people still make rag rugs or braided rugs? I know we have quilters as well as knitters among us.

    After Jesus fed the 5,000 he had his disciples gather up the leftovers. Maybe we should model our lives a bit more like that.

01/26/2025

Someone recently said to me, “Be safe.” It may have been in the context of the extreme cold which we are currently experiencing. Wisely our leadership moved Commissions and Board meetings to a less frigid day. The cold and icy conditions now present a real challenge especially to those of us who are a bit older. Now one of the first questions which medical staff asks me is, “Have you fallen recently?” Earlier in my life, nobody asked me that. I have always been less than careful and as a result fell many times when I was younger, although I have never broken any bones. Nowadays, I listen to my doctors and take care not to fall. I try to be safe, but is safety just about not falling? What does it mean to be safe in the rest of my “not falling” life?  I am told to keep my passwords safe. Should I worry about how safe my food and water are? Should I wear a face mask all winter flu season? Perhaps I should wrap myself and those I love in bubble wrap instead of a puffy coat. Where is the balance between safety and obsession? Fear for our safety could end up blocking us from enjoying and experiencing life. Risky behavior makes little sense but neither does neurotic fear. I try to remember the line from the gospel song, “Safe am I, safe am I, in the shelter of His love.” I think it is a better way.