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?...
Jun 21, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
In over 70 years of communism in Russia and the former Soviet Union, the vast majority of church buildings in the Soviet Union, especially in Russia, were destroyed or closed. Millions of Christians were imprisoned and put to death. I first went to the Soviet Union in...
Jun 14, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
I’ve never been a latest-fashion-follower, though I confess, for a season I did wear a “leisure suit” and white suede shoes. I’m aware that many readers will have no knowledge of “leisure suits.” They were popular in the early 1970s but didn’t last long. I thought I’d...
Jun 7, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, that wants it down!” wrote poet Robert Frost. Unfortunately, that sentiment is not universally shared. The largest construction project ever undertaken by humanity was building the Great Wall of China. Enough stone was...
May 31, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling, Uncategorized
Memory is one of our most important capacities. It is a blessed gift. James M. Barie said, “God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.” But it is more than recalling beauty. Memory gives us a sense of meaning. We are who we are because of memory. When...
May 24, 2021 | Pondering and Kindling
Attention to theological education and preparation for ministry has always been a part of the Methodist/Wesleyan expression of church. I’m a Methodist by choice. For me, one of the attractions to the Methodist Church was the emphasis on an educated clergy. The...
