Jul 23, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
On September 1, 1939, the night after the onset of World War II, W. H. Auden sat in one of the dives on Fifty-second Street in New York and observed people trying to escape themselves and their world by drinking, dancing, keeping up conventions: Lest we should see...
Jul 19, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
All of us cast shadows of some kind along the road of life. These shadows affect the people with whom we come into contact. I was inspired in my reflection on this by a story in the Book of Acts. Because of the many miracles Peter had performed, the sick of Jerusalem...
Jul 12, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
I was reading hurriedly, which is too often my style, but that didn’t hinder the critical aspect of my reading. There it was… sleep-stealer. What a mistake…. but when I read again, it was no mistake; it was not meant to be sheep-stealer. The writer was talking about...
Jul 5, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
Wow! “Tani” Adewumi, a 10-year-old Nigerian refugee, has become the country’s newest national chess master. He came to America with his family in 2017, fleeing from the terror of extremist group Boko Haram. He started learning chess three years ago at a New York City...
Jun 29, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
I received what was called a local preacher’s license in 1952, when I was only 17 years old. That means I have been at this business of preaching for 68 years. I have been the pastor of nine local churches. I was the organizing pastor of three of those nine churches I...
Jun 28, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
Reading Scripture in different translations is a good spiritual discipline. This was underscored recently when I was reading in the book of Job. The New International Version, which I usually read, has this translation of Job 18:2-4: “When will you end these speeches?...
