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The question of work is, ironically, on my mind this Labor Day weekend. Thanks to the efforts (labor) of people who advocated for the fair treatment of American workers, I get Monday off. These advocates had their hands full, because during the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800s, work conditions for the average American worker were deplorable. How deplorable? According to the History Channel, "The average American laborer worked 12-hour days, seven days a week, in order

Nothing helps me put myself in the proper perspective in this vast universe faster than lying on my back at night peering into the dark night sky and pondering all that lies just beyond what I can see with my naked eyes or my best astronomy binoculars. Conversely, nothing puts me at the center of my own universe faster than difficulty inserting itself into my earthly world. The first makes me feel simultaneously small yet strangely secure, while the latter only serves to keep

Even a basic reading of the Old Testament leaves us with the impression that God listens to His people and that He speaks to them. Consider this short but powerful verse. Psalm 116:1-2, NLT "I love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy. [2] Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!" This portrays God as a God who comes close to listen. Throughout the rest of the psalm, David tells of his personal experience with God listening.

Mark Twain once wrote, "But who prays for Satan? Who in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?" (Mark Twain: 'But who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?' — The Socratic Method) This question seems to challenge our compassion and humanity. But on a deeper level, this question is an ideal doorway through which we can enter the discussion

Is there a nagging question about faith that sits in the recesses of your mind, coming into your conscious thought just long enough to make you wonder or doubt? Has anyone asked you a question about faith, and you realized you didn't have a satisfactory answer? This summer sermon series is for you! (And for me, too.) You ask the questions, and we dig in together. Answers will not always be neatly packaged and delivered with all the frayed ends tied up, but we promise to brin

I have always liked the version of Abraham Lincoln from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. In the first movie, Bill & Ted bring several historical characters back in hopes of passing history class so Ted will not be shipped off to military school in Alaska. The two slackers from San Dimas High School use a time-traveling phone booth to travel through history to bring back Lincoln, Billy the Kid, Beethoven, Genghis Khan, Joan of Arc, Napoleon, Freud, and Socrates. Brilliant pla

The Statue of Liberty was a shiny bronze way back on Oct. 28, 1886, when President Grover Cleveland presided over her dedication on Liberty Island in the Upper New York Bay. Lady Liberty has welcomed immigrants from all over the world as they come through Ellis Island, seeking Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness in America. So why is Lady Liberty green nowadays? The scientific answer may be a wonderful way to understand a great spiritual truth for followers of Jesus,

Gaylord Opryland waterfall provides pleasant white noise against the stressful sounds of life. Perhaps you are familiar with the line, "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot," from the Joni Mitchell song, "Big Yellow Taxi." Counting Crows. Bob Dylan, and Amy Grant have all covered the song. The song is a phenomenal reminder that things change, and not always for the better. On Nov. 29, 1969, Mitchell introduced the song this way, "Two weekends ago I went to Hawaii. It

Monsignor Jefferson Wicks attacks his new priest, Father Jud Duplenticy, in Knives Out 3. (Photo pulled from Catholic Review) The Church is at war. Or at least it seems this way. As political commentators, denominational leaders, church leaders, and even politicians pollute "news" networks, Christian reporting, and social media with their battering rams of fear and opinion, it can feel like Jesus followers are fighting everyone, everywhere, all the time. In fact, some Sunday

Part of our family just returned from a long weekend in Nashville. It was a great time of relaxing, with lots of laughing and lots of eating. Highly recommend! Pro-tip: Visit the Ryman Auditorium. You won't be sorry you spent the money or the time. In fact, I learned something important during our visit - and I have the t-shirt and poster to prove it. I learned a new story about how the gospel can change lives, power structures, and the use of a man's wealth. The story starts

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have probably chuckled - or flat-out belly laughed - your way through Ralphie's Christmas schemes to find his own Red Ryder Carbin-Action 200-Shot Range Model Air Rifle under the tree on Christmas morning. It is all that he can think about. His imagination is quite vivid as he daydreams about what he would do with his gun. Remember Black Bart and his gang of robbers? Ralphie and his Red Ryder takes down the gang and sends Black Ba

Obi Wan Kenobi takes the high ground against Darth Vadar in Revenge of the Sith "Execute Order 66." With these three words, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine gives the order identifying the Jedi as traitors against the Grand Republic and directing the clone soldiers of the Grand Republic to execute all Jedi. This was the secret and insidious means for the Sith to bring an end to the Jedi Order. If you know, you know. If you don't know, this refers to the Star Wars movie saga, spec

"The Father and I are one." ~ John 10:30 Tomorrow, Sunday, May 17, 2026, a gathering is planned on the National Mall for a day of prayer, praise and thanksgiving. The event marks 250 years since the Continental Congress called for a day of prayer in 1776. The event promises that thousands of participants will be regaled with plenty of patriotic and Christian speeches, music, and red, white and blue. Back in 1776, in the colonies, Whigs and Tories were divided over their desir

Photo by Lee Jin-man / AP "Science can in no way establish the claim that nothing supernatural or eternal can be real." Walter R. Hearn On Wednesday, May 6, 2026, Gabi, a Buddhist monk in the largest sect of Buddhism in South Korea, pledged his devotion to Buddha and his teachings. This is news because Gabi is a humanoid robot manufactured by Unitree Robotics, a Chinese company that makes civilian robotics. Before Wednesday, a robot taking religious vows was not on my bingo

About 30 miles north of Sante Fe, New Mexico, is one the holiest spots of the West - or, depending on your viewpoint, another spot of plain old New Mexico dirt. Regardless of your viewpoint, it is one of the more significant Catholic pilgrimage sites in the United States. Here is the official description of this site, as posted on the New Mexico True webpage, "Nestled in the village of Chimayo along the High Road to Taos sits a national historic landmark, El Santuario de Chim

In the 1980s I traveled across parts of the American West with my grandparents to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I saw bumper stickers everywhere I looked: "Jesus is my copilot." Not in my grandfather's Ford truck, though. The bumper sticker on his dashboard read, "If I disappear while driving, calmly grab steering wheel and apply brake. I've been raptured." That bumper sticker kept me awake and my head on a swivel. Late one evening, driving through Texarkana, a big crow flew into

As I write this, we have just finished the third Sunday of Easter - a time when many Christians around the world continue to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is also a time for Christians to remember what it means to be a follower of Jesus today. Here in America, right now, we find ourselves in very strange times, indeed. You know what I didn't have on my bingo card for 2026? The pope, government leaders, and pastors in a theological cage fight. Yet here we are.

As I write this, it is the second Sunday of Easter. Growing up Baptist, we only had Holy Week, starting on Palm Sunday and ending with Easter Sunday. And that could be an exhausting week if you grew up with a church musician like I did. The Monday after Easter the lilies were gone from the sanctuary, the pastor was exhausted, and the church schedule more or less "went back to normal" - as did the church music for the following Sunday. Imagine my surprise as I studied differen

Did you know that historians and a study of calendars have helped us narrow down possible dates for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Many agree that the actual date for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ was April 3, 33 A.D., while the resurrection was April 5, 2026. This aligns the dates of Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday 2026 with a mere 1,993 years between the actual events and our observances this year. Neat, huh, particularly for history buffs and nerds

It's time for confession. I've never liked Palm Sunday. It may be more accurate to say I've always had an uneasy relationship with this Christian tradition. The tradition of observing Palm Sunday goes back to the 4th Century, with lots of Church Fathers signing off on it, so I've kept my mouth shut and just gone along as best I could. Who am I to argue with the Church Fathers? I've watched kids and adults as they parade around the church waving palm branches, I've organized t