Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week!
Last week, I spoke about how our lives can change in an instant, but as I wrote that letter, I had no idea how true that would be for us here at Salem this Holy Week. Last Saturday morning, as I was working around the house, I received a call from Alan Uhl that his son, Victor, had died suddenly. Then, on…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week!
Well, here we go! This Sunday is Palm Sunday. Ever since I was a little boy, I can remember waving palms on Palm Sunday. At the church I grew up in, we would start outside, no matter how cold it was, and the priest would read the story of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and then the entire congregation…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week!
I did my undergraduate work at the University of the Pacific where I majored in Business Administration. UOP had a great School of Business, but of all the schools that comprised the whole university, one of the most famous of the schools was the Conservatory of Music. Students from all over the world came…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week!
Earlier this week, I was reviewing my schedule and I realized that we are halfway through Lent already. That means we are only a couple of weeks away from Holy week and Easter. I pray that this has been a joyous and spirit-filled season of Lent for you.
This Sunday, our Gospel text is John 3:14-21,…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week!
Spring is getting closer! While watching the weather report this morning, the meteorologist said that, beginning this weekend, a warming trend is on its way. Well, I don’t know about you, but I am ready for a warming trend. In fact, I am to the point that I really want to see the trees begin to bud and…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week!
As you know, over the past several years, Salem has made a very concerted effort to be missional. That is, our goal is to be active in God’s mission in the community around us so that we might be a place that is active in sharing the Gospel and offering hope to a broken world.
One of the key ways we…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week!
Later this year, on August 9, to be exact, Jill and I will celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary. We met while we were still in high school, and after dating for over four years, as Jill would say, “We finally got married!” You know, when you’ve been together as long as we have, you have…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week!
This time of year, time moves so quickly in the church. I mean, it seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating Christmas and now, in just a few days, we will gather to begin the Season of Lent. Yes, Ash Wednesday is next week. That means that this Sunday our men’s ministry groups will be holding…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week!
Do you ever get so busy you just can’t focus? Do you ever get so busy that you forget what it is that you are supposed to be doing? I know I do, and I find it very frustrating. As I read through our Gospel text for this coming Sunday, Mark 1:29-39, I had to wonder, was Jesus so busy with healing folks…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week!
This past Sunday, Salem held its annual meeting. Over 90 confirmed members came to the meeting to talk about Salem’s past and our future. We reviewed our ministries from the past year and we reviewed our financial status. We talked about what our future might look like, and the Past Presidents Advisory…