This morning I am reminded of where we truly belong, no matter our current national status: So now you are no longer strangers and aliens. Rather, you are fellow citizens with God’s people, and you belong to God’s household. Ephesians 2:19 (CEB) In this time of national remembrance and celebration, the words of German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemöller
Read MoreI like to be able to take care of myself. And I’ve tried to raise independent kids. Who can cook, travel alone, fill out forms, and get along wherever they are. I don’t want to have to depend on other people- for myself or for my kids. But Jesus says ask. In order to receive. Asking is
Read MoreBright, hot, humid. Summer mornings. I wake most days before my alarm, needing coffee and a word. Or several words, from scripture. I am empty and need to be filled. I realize that most people don’t start their days this way, but at this point in my life, it is hard to imagine any other
Read MoreThe sound of pouring rain above alternates with the rumble of the sump pump below. A critical pairing these days in central Illinois. So the sound of drought pricked my ears: After a while the brook dried up because there was no rain in the land. 1 Kings 17:7(CEB) I enjoy the surprise of reading according to
Read MoreWhat lasts? Not individuals, or generations. Anger? Faithfulness? Compassion? Each morning. Each year. A whole life long. Psalm 90 is credited to Moses. Not what I expected. Does that change my imagining of the writer, the experiences and situations that shape perspective? Perhaps. The man of God contemplates the everlastingness of God. Before the mountains were born.
Read MoreOne friend announces her retirement. Another young friend interviews for her first job out of college. Tonight we attend high school graduation- as parents. Transitions. Futures that we glimpse, but are largely unknown. For the first time ever, I had the privilege of submitting requests for the set lists in Jim Croegaert’s concert. And Changes seems just
Read MoreThe hostess with the mostest. Does Paul come to mind? Unlikely. But when Paul arrives in Rome as a prisoner, he no longer has the freedom to meet people where they are. He can’t go to the synagogue, as is his custom, to engage religious leaders in discussion of scripture. He needs people to come to him.
Read MoreOur May 27 morning service will feature a concert by Jim Croegaert! May this reflection increase our anticipation, as we savor songs that open the windows of worship. -Renée Songs to Remind, Songs to Remember Something I find interesting, and noteworthy, is the special place songs can have in the remarkable landscape of memory. We all have songs that
Read MoreI came home to a 4-pack of rosemary seedlings. A present and a challenge. Reminding me of childhood, visiting my grandparents in California, where rosemary grows as fragrant hedges. Not so in Illinois. Maintaining pots through our winters is a friendly contest. I succeeded for several years, but a costly misstep requires starting over. This year,
Read MoreWe’re excited to launch a new, occasional feature on our blog: reviews of books in the New Covenant Fellowship library. Today, our “resident librarian,” Carolyn Vance, reviews the book “Sleeping with Bread: Holding What Gives you Life” by Dennis Linn, Sheila Farbricant Linn and Matthew Linn. (Paulist Press, 1995) It looks like a children’s book. But
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