As part of the never-ending pursuit of getting children to read and ENJOY it, I started a trivia contest for the entire month of March. Each week there was a new set of trivia questions hidden around the school about the … (read more)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) The subject of capital punishment has always terrified me. Without making a political or moral argument, I … (read more)
It has become fashionable in some circles to propose an even-handed, levelheaded, non-extreme interpretation of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Something a bit less dramatic (and a bit more manageable) than the Victorious Lord of Life crashing out of his … (read more)
Of all the celebrations on the Church calendar, Easter is perhaps my favorite. After spending the prior weeks of Lent in personal reflection and repentance, culminating in the observance of Christ’s suffering and death, I rejoice in the celebration of Christ’s … (read more)
God’s blessings often come in ways and at times that are not expected. A look at the financial report from 2012 shows some seemingly poor results; overall income fell 31 percent, expenses increased and were $154,455 more than income for … (read more)
It is Lenten time. I have been thinking about a set of passages at the heart of the Lenten season – the “Servant Songs,” in the wonderful book of Isaiah. You will recognize these songs, I am sure (Isaiah 42:1-4; … (read more)
Statistics are very tricky things. They can be helpful when used properly, but great care must be taken to compile and interpret them in a way that is accurate and useful. I really enjoy statistics, and I try to use … (read more)
I have been thinking lately about stone jars. Stone jars figured prominently in the gospel text for the Second Sunday of Epiphany, read all around the world a few weeks ago. I was visiting friends and colleagues in India at … (read more)
This month we reach the conclusion of our 75th anniversary year celebration. We have outlined eight decades of our mission history over the course of the last twelve months. So now what? Deeper We must go deeper. Spiritual maturity is … (read more)
Last month we concluded our 75th anniversary celebration; this month we begin our 76th year together. It is a dangerous passage. The great danger of anniversary years – advanced anniversary years, in particular – is that agencies (and people sometimes, … (read more)