This psalm, as comfortable as we are with it, and as wonderful as it sounds – is difficult to buy into in our present reality. In a Coronavirus world, where ...

The Theodicy Problem How can God be just when there is so much evil in the world? Why do good people suffer while those who oppress them seem to prosper? Whe...

“Oh, God! two-word prayer… Aunt Margaret’s sons/diagnosis/death of loved one…we cry out! Prayer can be a challenge for many of us. We struggle with the idea ...

Just around the Riverbend Everything can be new. The past is important, of course. The past tells us how God has been at work in our story. It gives clues ab...

Happy Valentine’s weekend. For some of us, this is a weekend to be endured, gotten through, toughed out. If Romantic Love isn’t a big part of our lives, this...

Something odd happened in November of 1805 on what is now the Oregon Coast. Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery reached the Pacific Ocean. They needed...

The world is a very complicated place. Sometimes we come here on Sunday morning, longing for someone to tell us that everything will be all right. But perhap...

A trip to Israel-Palestine is a remarkable experience. Even with a commercial tour, the place itself would affect you. There are echoes, resonances of the st...

Driving around Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Grove allows you to see quite an array of lights and holiday decorations. Santas, reindeer, snow people, can...

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, George Frederic Handel joined forces with Charles Jennens a devout Anglican, known for frequenting the theater, wh...

Only a Baby Came Setting. In times of peril, it is not easy to have a sense of hope for the future. The present takes all of our attention. Fear defeats hope...

Warnings aren’t necessarily bad. They can be very helpful. We like warnings the prevent us from accidents – rumble strips tell us when we start going off the...

In the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey really struggles. He had big dreams -- since he was a small child. He wanted to leave the small town of Be...

Dr. Bill Sears, expert on early childhood, says that until age 2 ½, children should not be expected to share. Most children aren’t capable to real empathy u...

In the church, our least favorite topic to discuss is probably money. Part of that is cultural – we live in a culture where it is considered bad manners to d...

In the 1946 classic movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey Jr. has an amazing opportunity: he experiences what his town would be like if he had not live...

Psychologists have concluded that if individuals don’t have a strong sense of their purpose, the results are often depression, fatigue, anxiety and physical ...

Some of us remember full-service pumps at gas stations, where you could pull up to certain pumps and a person came out to pump the gas, wash the windshield a...

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anyth...

At several church events, participants have been asked to share our early memories of awareness of cultural differences. It’s interesting to hear the stories...