Monthly Archives: October 2019

Last Sunday, the choir sang the anthem, “Proclaim the Glory of the Lord”, written by Niles Borop and Dwight Lilies and arranged by Marty Hamby. As often happens the tune and the message have been in my consciousness almost since … Continue reading →

At the end of worship the bulletin read: “The service begins now.” That’s a clever play on two different meanings of the word “service.” I pondered this peculiarity. Why should service mean an act of worship? The Oxford English Dictionary … Continue reading →

I am a retired math teacher, and I remember one class when I was trying to explain an especially complicated and involved topic. It was one of those math topics where you don’t understand anything until you understand everything. These … Continue reading →

Friendships operate on so many levels, from casual to “BFF”. There are “Facebook friends”. If you ever take a long, hard look at your friend list on FB, you will be scratching your head. “What was I thinking?” The irony … Continue reading →

I have a grandfather I never knew. He died a decade before I was born. I was never particularly curious about him until I delved into genealogy. For the most part, no one in the family talked about him. I … Continue reading →

Recorded in 1962, by Ernie Maresca, the song, “Shout, Shout, Knock Yourself Out,” was in the rock n’ roll era. The lyrics continue with “…come on yell, yell, loud and swell. You gotta’ scream…” Personally, screaming and yelling are not … Continue reading →

I met Emma folding bulletins at our Lutheran church. She was late 70s. Her husband Bill was gone. She sat with her friend Corrine. While folding bulletins, they would argue across the table about everything. Initially, I was alarmed but … Continue reading →

I’m in Vermont right now. Once again, I am packing to go back to Florida. What a seasonal change that will be! The temperature here this morning was 38 degrees and in Florida – 89. I have to admit that … Continue reading →

It was 3 a.m. and I couldn’t sleep. I picked up a book and read this remark by a former Trappist abbot: “Saint Bernard talks about coming to the monastery to see God. But when we get here, that’s not … Continue reading →

Several years ago I was standing in line at Walmart, when I noticed that the woman in front of me was having trouble using her debit card. She kept sliding it through the reader, but nothing happened (this was before … Continue reading →