Staff Trax

He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” (Mark 9:35-37)

No one wants…

Most Johnson County kids go back to school next week. My youngest starts on Thursday, and my oldest goes back Friday. Hopefully starting school on Friday the 13^th won’t be unlucky. You might remember Friday the 13^th in March 2020, when the kids were supposed to go back to school for one more day before spring break was to start but instead did not return in person for about…

I am sure you have heard the expression, “You can’t go home again.” That is something Jesus discovered when he returned to his hometown to teach. Sometimes you have to leave home to truly be appreciated and accepted. That is what Jesus found in this Sunday’s Gospel.

“[Jesus] came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue,…

This Sunday is Pentecost. We celebrate the birth of the church and wear red. But when I did a search on the internet for the word Pentecost, it was interesting to me that not only the Christian celebration came up, but also the Jewish one.

According to the book “Christianity for Dummies,” (yes, not the best title, but it…

Sunday’s Gospel reading is the story is when the risen Christ appears to the disciples. It is shortly after he appears on the road to Emmaus, and breaks and blesses bread with those he met on the road. Then he vanishes and appears near 11 of the disciples and their companions.

At first, the disciples are frightened, feeling like they have seen a ghost. Jesus comforts them by having them…

It has been a year since the coronavirus hit Johnson County. It has been a year since my kids came home from school on a Thursday expecting one more day before spring break, only to not return to school again for classes until after fall conferences.

For other things, it has been more than a year. I have not seen family or friends since December 2019, and some even before that. Most of our…

The readings this week (for Sunday, Jan. 24) all have one thing in common — trusting in God, even if His intentions are not clear at the time. This can be hard, especially when times are tough. Just be still in the fact that God has His hand on everything, and even though you might not see His plan, you need to trust in Him.

The Old Testament reading is from Jonah. God told Jonah to go…

When we think of Christmas, we think of many things — angels, Christmas trees, hanging lights on our house, bells. Some might think of Santa, though we all know he has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. Do you know why some of these symbols have become a part of our traditions every December?

Angels. We all know the significance of the angels. The angel Gabriel first…

In November, we celebrate Thanksgiving and the start of Advent. We also have had All Saints’ Day, the end of Daylight Savings Time (probably not something to celebrate, as our amount of daylight hours is reduced), and Election Day. Veterans Day is next week, and Christ the King Sunday is in a couple of weeks.

We have honored the saints who have gone before us and will honor veterans who…

Can you imagine having a wedding reception and no one wanting to come? All of the food and drinks are prepared, but no guests have shown up. Would you just go out and invite whomever you saw?

That is what the king in this Sunday’s Gospel reading did. He gave a wedding banquet for his son, but no one would come. He first sent his slaves to bring those who had been invited, but they refused.…