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Staff Trax

A Glimpse of the Future

For the past several weeks we have been reading through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, which according to Matthew, came at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. But today, we fast-forward into the heart of Jesus ministry. Much has happened since Jesus gave that long sermon to his disciples. He has traveled throughout the country sharing the good news of God’s kingdom. He has healed many.…

​Salem – from Saturday evenings to Sunday mornings

Many of you know that I began at Salem as the Saturday evening worship pianist and song leader in 2004. My daughter Casey was only 9 months old, and had spent her first 4 months in the NICU after being born at 25 weeks, weighing less than 2 pounds. I was thrilled to join that intimate, tight-knit congregation, and found joy and friendship on Saturday evenings at Salem for 4 ½ years.

I…

Be All That You Can Be

Jesus can’t be serious, can he? Turn the other cheek? If someone wants your coat, give it to him or her? If you are forced to carry someone’s backpack for a mile, don’t stop there, carry it an extra mile for them? Love your enemies and pray for them? This is ridiculous, after all, when it comes to God’s law, God did say, “Anyone who maims another shall suffer the same injury…

A Time of Renewal

Dear Salem Family,

As Meghan pointed out in her recent letter, last fall our stewardship campaign was entitled “Now is the Time.” It was a call for all of us to get active in the mission to which God has called us here at Salem. As we moved into the Season of Advent, our focus switched to a “Time to Wait,” for in Advent the church focuses on how we can actively wait for Christ…

God's Gift

My guess is that most of us have an image of God in our heads. I suspect that our image of God is based a lot on what we have come to expect from God. For some of us, we might think of someone like a judge. You know, a person in a robe, sitting at a desk with a gavel. In the U.S. we might think of God like a Supreme Court Justice. Still others might imagine an old man with a white beard,…

Now is the Time

Salem Family,

We went through the season of Advent, a time of waiting. Waiting for the birth of Christ, waiting for the joy. A time of preparation for our Lord. Our stewardship theme has been, “Now is the Time.” After we’ve gone through this season of waiting, now is the time. After the commitment the congregation made at the Annual Meeting, the theme, “Now is the Time”…

Lighten Up!

If you remember, last week we began reading what we call Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. John had been arrested and Jesus had begun his ministry and started to call his disciples. He had begun traveling around Galilee, “teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23). And as he did this,…

Blessed Are

In baptism, we are claimed by our creator through water and word. Our family and congregation make a commitment to bring us up in the faith and teach us the scriptures. In confirmation, we study the scriptures and make our own profession of faith as we affirm our baptism. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the chapter on how to live in an imperfect world while also following a radical, loving, and…