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Staff Trax

Healer of Our Every Ill

Lately, I have struggled to make sense of the news of war, displaced refugees, and the sheer magnitude of the world’s brokenness. If we are not careful, despair and hopelessness can quickly envelop us like a quagmire from which we cannot free ourselves. When this happens, I find it helpful to give to God what is simply too difficult for me to bear. The same is true when a dreaded diagnosis or…

The Forgiving Father

I was recently surprised to hear our scripture for this week, the beloved story of the prodigal son, described instead as the story of the forgiving father. How would you describe it? The story of the spoiled kid who wasted his inheritance? His father who continued to spoil him when he returned? His loyal brother who was taken for granted? We tend to err on the side of judgment: how we feel about…

Spring Thoughts

Spring is only a few days away. It is a time of awakening and renewal, a time of organizing and cleaning out our lives. Everyone does some type of spring cleaning. We open our windows when it is warm enough and let in the fresh air. We also can do this with our spiritual lives, a cleansing of our souls. We clean out the cobwebs and bring in fresh perspective and light. Spring also gives us hope…

Spiritual Practices Primer

After the Lenten service last Wednesday evening, Pastor Jon handed me four pages, front and back, that I have read a few times now as I decide what direction I need to go for my personal growth during this Lenten season. The importance of me taking the different suggestions, creating a plan of action, then carrying them out to the best of my ability is exponential. My hope is that this helps me…

Temptations

It’s March and 70 degrees out. Wow! And the start of the Lenten season. Each year my family lets my mom know what we are going to give up for Lent. Some drop off, and maybe some of the grandchildren will get involved. And when Easter Sunday is here we talk about it as a family.

My mother knows we will all get tempted at one point or another, but does this for us to think about what we…