We are in what the Christian calendar calls Advent. In a recent blog, I mentioned the Christian worship practice of lighting a candle each Sunday of Advent each signifying the four traditional Advent themes: Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy.  Last week I reflected on peace;...

One of the leading story on the front page of the newspaper, The Commercial Appeal,  was about a famous dog, Riona.  Riona was rescued after being set on fire by her owner. Six months after her recovery she made her first public appearance. For the past few months she...

In my blog last week I talked about what the Church calls a “liturgical” calendar which guides the Church in celebrating the “Christian” year. The first “season” of that year is Advent. We began that season on Sunday, November 27. There are four Sundays in Advent. In...

The Church has what is called a “liturgical” calendar which guides the Church is celebrating what we call the “Christian” year. The first “season” of that year is Advent. We began that season this Sunday, November 27. Do you note that this season comes at the end of...

The observance of Thanksgiving is almost as old as our nation. President George Washington issued a proclamation for “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer. ”On October 3, 1789, President Abraham Lincoln built on that and established “a Day of Thanksgiving and...

I heard his story from a preacher friend. A little boy was diagnosed as having a terminal illness. When he was told the situation and that he would soon die, he retreated fearfully into a cocoon of total silence. No one...not his doctors or nurses, not even his...

My family was not long on formality. To say that we were “casual” may be an understatement. Warmth of the relationship and the caring of my parents is what I remember most. How we related to and treated another, whether formal or casual, is what mattered. That was...