If you watched the Oscars on Sunday you may have heard more than one joke about the slap from the 2022 Oscars. If you have no clue what you are reading about, here is a quick recap, Chris Rock hosted the Oscars Ceremony in 2022. While hosting he made a joke about Jada Pickett Smith's short hair. Will smith took offense to his joke as his wife's short hair is due to a medical condition. His response was to go

Growing up, these words were often told to me by mom. I would scab my knee or get a cut and my mom would say, “don’t touch that, let it heal.” Even as adults we have a hard time letting things heal and at times would rather pick at a scab then just leave it alone. This is true physically and emotionally. We often prefer to go “unhealed” and pick at old “wounds” rather than do the world to heal.

When was the last time you embraced a stranger? Maybe it was someone you connected with in the checkout line. Maybe it was a conversation with your neighbor on a plane. Maybe it was someone who had a cool tattoo that you asked about. Maybe you helped someone who had dropped their things on the ground. There are countless ways to embrace others. Embracing people is a holy and sacred thing. We are in our second week of Lenten sermon series

It seems like the New Year has just started but in fact we are just a few days away from March, which brings us into Spring. Which may trigger in all of us the desire to do some "Spring Cleaning." We can put coats away, not that we use many here anyway. We can sort through our spring and summer clothes and see what fits and what does not. We can go through paperwork to get our taxes prepared and

New things often put a little pep in my step. Whether it is a new outfit, a new pair of shoes, a new haircut, a new phone case, or even a new plant for my house, new things have a way of lifting my spirits. They don't have to be big and grand things, but even the smallest changes can make me feel like a new person. This week, we come upon Revelation 21:1-7 which tells about the newness that

One of the biggest joys in life is seeing a baby take their first steps! I have not seen this in person but I have watched numerous videos of babies taking their first steps. I often tear up! I get emotional seeing the baby's face filled with such pride...at least at the beginning. I love how those watching begin to cheer for the baby! This whole song and dance by parents and baby happens for a few days or weeks

Do you ever just feel defeated and discouraged? Life has a way of throwing us a great deal of disappointments and it's rather easy to become disheartened by it all. In the news we've heard a great deal of discouraging events. From ongoing police brutality to mass shootings to hateful and harmful legislation to local violence and so much more. There's a lot of heavy news coming our way. With all of it out there, it can be really easy to

I have a hard time cleaning out my closet. Maybe some reading can relate. I want to keep everything. I just know that a sweater that does not fit anymore will come back in style and miraculously fit if I just keep the sweater five more years. Some friends have told me about a helpful practice that assists in regulating closet space. The practice is simple, if you buy something new, then you have to get rid of something old. I

What are you going through in your life? Although we have begun a new year, matters of life haven't necessarily changed for everyone. Maybe you're going through a health diagnosis, enduring a financial hardship, navigating new circumstances in life, mending a relationship, seeking healing internally or externally, or something else. The truth is we are all going THROUGH something. This past week, we began a new sermon series called "Something New" exploring stories in scripture where communities were going through a period of

Maybe you have heard this proclamation from a young child in your life......and maybe also from an adult. LOL! Maybe you are the one who has said this most recently in your life! There are many things in life that we do not want to do! A friend of mine growing up said that his dad told him, "you don't have to do anything you do not want to do." This is true. Each of us have been created with the ability