By Brother Guy Ames One of the most treasured of the Advent Gospel readings is the Magnificat, (Luke 1: 46-55) which is Latin for the first words Mary speaks upon being greeted by her cousin Elizabeth. “My soul magnifies the Lord” begins her Song of Joy upon hearing cousin Elizabeth declare, “As soon as the […]
By Brother Brian Shimer At my last congregation, the church leadership and I decided to start Advent on November 15th, like the Orthodox tradition. We wanted to slow down the season. The Orthodox add in a 40-day fast in preparation for the Feast of Christmas! Our folk didn’t exactly manage that! My mom had written […]
By Brother Tom Albin This is the first week of Advent—the season in the Chistian year that we prepare for the birth of the Christ child. It will be four more weeks before we celebrate Christmas eve and Christmas Day! How will you prepare for yourself and your family for Christmas? Here in the United […]
By Brother Guy Ames Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.(1 Thessalonians 5:18, NLT) I love Thanksgiving! During my young years our family would gather for a tradition with friends. Without exception, sometime during that day we would stop all the activities, television, eating and […]
By Brother Brian Shimer When I walked into the sauna, everyone was laughing and talking. I had heard their laughter even from the pool while doing laps. Unusual for a sauna on a Monday morning. Apparently, I had missed a great story. As soon as I arrived, the two left, who had been sharing the […]
By Brother Tom Albin Recently Maryle and I participated in a Christian Ashram in Canada. During the Open Heart, I expressed my need to experience the presence of the Living God—to sense and feel and see the Holy Spirit at work in and through the Ashram. It may seem an odd thing for a pastor […]
By Brother Matt Henson The transformation of Christ at work in our lives turns us from a focus on self to our focus on Jesus. We begin to see the world in new ways and what is important to us changes. We no longer seek self; we seek Jesus. The attitude and attributes of a […]
By Brother Brian Shimer It took perseverance to pack up the car each Friday, drive 150 miles with two children (one 2.5 year old and the other a 2 month old, to begin with) to reach the small, country church I pastored for a year as a seminary student. It took commitment to “keep on, […]
By Brother Tom Albin The Bible names nine qualities or “fruit” of the Holy Spirit. This week I would like to suggest a tenth—GRATITUDE. Here are the nine identified in Galatians 5:22-23. (Revised Standard Version Updated Edition) …the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is […]
By Brother Matthew Henson My college roommate posted a saying in our apartment that stated, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, which is why we call it the present.” Each day when I would walk past this sign, I would consider the words in my mind, but sadly, I fear, […]
