Children enjoy the story of the boy David fighting Goliath, but it is good for adults to revisit things they first encountered in ch…
Have you ever stopped to think of all the people who asked questions of Jesus?
I have read of atheists who complain that religions are often the cause of wars and other evils. But too often they have chosen only…
The Wallendas are a well-known family of high-wire walkers. Nik, one of their most notable, has traveled as much as 2,000 feet in a …
A hypocrite is a sanctimonious person who pretends to be better than he really is.
“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it” (Luke…
It was summer, it was hot, but the heat of a summer day was nothing compared to that of which lay in the hearts of those who dared s…
Worry just may be one of worst viruses around. It’s contagious it seems and robs us of energy, life, love and laughter.
I recently taught a class on the gospels and I wanted the students to have a broader view of the New Testament so I used Hal Taussig…
Bishop Michael Curry preached at a wedding last May. It was at Harry and Meghan’s televised wedding watched by millions.
The word being used today is decline. “The church is in decline” is in the news regularly, the subject of numerous studies nationwid…
A hypocrite is a sanctimonious person who pretends to be better than he really is.
Perhaps most people who believe in the Bible account of creation have their own favorite reason for that belief, a belief which also…
Easter Sunday is about remembering, receiving and anticipating. First, we remember God raised the crucified and buried Jesus from th…
One of my favorite atheists likes to post Facebook memes about magical thinking and fairy-tale stories that gullible Christians eat …
As a follower of Carl Jung, I am convinced dreams and stories are the natural language of people. They are the human equivalents of …
Someone said, “Jesus laughed.” His friend retorted, “That’s not in the Bible, but man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, that’s i…
It was 2:30 a.m. I woke with a start in the hospital room. The day before had been a long day. My wife had gone into labor early tha…
We have entered the season of Lent, known by many as a time for giving something up, although why is a bit of a mystery.
Many of you have heard that delegates from the United Methodist Church from around the world gathered in special session to discuss …
A hypocrite is a sanctimonious person who pretends to be better than he really is.
I have never particularly cared for TV quiz shows, mostly because I was turned off by the kinds of questions. It seemed to me that t…
In John 5:1-9 Jesus talks to a man who hadn’t been able to walk for 38 years.
I have never particularly cared for TV quiz shows, mostly because I was turned off by the kinds of questions. It seemed to me the wi…
Richard Moore, president of the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, recently summarized American life in this way:…
It is high noon and Jesus is seated on a ledge at Jacob’s well, hoping that someone will come to draw water. He has no rope or water…
“Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine…
One argument modern skeptics of the New Testament make is that the words of Jesus cannot be trusted. That is, they were written by t…
There have been quite a few interesting causes of the back, neck and headache pain among patients I’ve treated during my 30-plus yea…
We often hear about the medical health of women who choose to have abortions, including their psychological health. What we don’t hear much about is the psychological health of women after they have had an abortion. Speaking not as a physician but as a pastor, here are some things I have learned and observed.
Matthew’s gospel records the desperate plight of Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus after the visit from the Magi: “Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’” (Matthew 2:13)
In the little space allotted to Dec. 21, most calendar makers write the words, “Winter Begins.” Here in the Walla Walla Valley, most of us have learned not to let the calendar alone define the arrival of winter. We know it’s wise to do whatever we need to do to winterize our corner of the world well before that date, even though there might still be a few roses and petunias hanging around. The weather people agree. A recent headline read “Brace for Brutal Cold; Arctic Blast Invades U.S.”
Dec. 25 was not the actual birthday of Jesus. No one in the second and third centuries remembered the actual date. Luke says the shepherds were in the hills when Jesus was born. In Palestine, they were in the fields from March or April until November, so spring, summer and autumn are all possibilities.
Why, then, was Dec. 25 chosen?
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel.” — Isaiah 7:14
The evening shadows were falling when Joseph stopped his donkey and knocked on the door of the inn. The two had been denied lodging at the other inns — this was the last one in Bethlehem. “Surely there will be room here,” he spoke softly to Mary, his wife.
Christmas is almost here. We know that because we are in the season of Advent.
A legend is told of a carriage that was built so sturdily and evenly that no part of it ever needed repair. Being subject to the laws of decay, it eventually just disintegrated into a pile of metallic dust.
Since God gave Jesus the authority and power to heal, why did he not heal everyone in the same way? Why did he heal one blind man in…
