by Joanna Harader Scripture: Luke 15:11-32 This week’s Gospel reading is the familiar story of the lost son—often called the Prodigal Son. Your children might enjoy watching one of these versions on YouTube: • A reading of the text with an actor and accompanying drawings • The story acted out by Lego characters • A social … Continue reading
~by Donald Hanna For some time my wife, Brenda, has been less and less enchanted with the calendar in her phone. For months she has been making the occasional comment about how much she hates it. Last month, she finally decided to ditch the phone calendar, and buy a planner. She did a little researching, … Continue reading
By Laura Kelly Fanucci I stir in the dark before dawn. Black trees outlined through our windows slowly sharpen into focus as the sky lightens into blue behind them. I slip between sleep and waking, but eventually decide the dreams are gone for good. I think of turning towards the prayer book on the nightstand … Continue reading
by Jennifer Mills-Knutsen Scripture: Psalm 8 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your … Continue reading
–by Chris Lenshyn We were in a tight spot! Our rental town house was being sold. We had to be out within 2 months. We were in process of selling my mother’s house 2 provinces away so that we could buy a house together and live communally in British Columbia. The attempted sale of mom’s house dragged … Continue reading
by Dena Hobbs Scripture: Psalm 27 (NRSV) “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me to devour our flesh – my adversaries and foes – they shall stumble and fall. Though an army … Continue reading
~ Christine Gough “I try to believe,” she said, “that God doesn’t give you more than one little piece of the story at once. You know, the story of your life. Otherwise your heart would crack wider than you could handle. He only cracks it enough so you can still walk, like someone wearing a … Continue reading
—Corey Fields It’s Ash Wednesday again. Ash Wednesday is among the worship services of the church year that I find the most powerful. The service is designed around an acknowledgement of human brokenness and mortality. Ash Wednesday embraces the idea that, although words of hope have their place during much of the rest of the … Continue reading
by Jennifer DiFrancesco Scripture: Luke 4:1-13 Jesus returned from the Jordan River full of the Holy Spirit, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. There he was tempted for forty days by the devil. He ate nothing during those days and afterward Jesus was starving. The devil said to him, “Since you are … Continue reading
~by Jill Clingan I live well by a syllabus. When I was in college and graduate school, I studied my classes’ syllabi with both a great deal of anticipation and a great deal of apprehension. At the beginning of each semester, I would sit on my living room couch and carefully copy each assignment into … Continue reading
Practicing Families 