“We’ve never had cats that acted like this before,” remarks my wife Judith in perhaps an understatement as she watches our latest feline acquisitions chase each other around the house and engage in spirited tussles. She also notes that over the years we’ve had about nine other ...
Penn State’s Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley can help us to contemplate heaven. Beaver Stadium has a seating capacity of more than 106,000. This makes Beaver Stadium the fourth largest stadium in the world behind Michigan’s “The Big House,” The Rungrado in North Korea, and the largest being the Narendra Modi Stadium in India which houses roughly 130,000. Football draws people. This time of year marks the college bowl season where many stadiums are packed to full capacity. Think of all the games this season in the Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC that have filled up stadiums. Try and ...
Do you ever think about how people see Jesus? Personally, I think they see him like themselves. There is a song called “Some Children See Him” written by Albert Burt, the son of an Episcopal priest. My source said that Bates Gilbert Burt, the father, grew tired of the generic greeting cards and decided to write a song, put together with some art, and mail it to those he usually sent cards to. The response he received inspired him to adopt the tradition. Burt’s son, Albert was classically trained in music. Since the elder Burt was limited by his lack of formal musical ...
Bah humbug!! To me, Christmas cards represent the best and the worst about the holiday season. Don’t get me wrong, I love receiving them. It’s the sending part that I hate. It’s a long story. When I was a kid, my mother sent cards to only extended family and out-of-town friends. “Why would I send cards to people I see every day? I can wish them a Merry Christmas in person without wasting a card and a 3-cent stamp.” Imagine that price. I do remember buying 3-cent stamps. We received a handful of cards each year to hang on the dining room mantle. But Mom always bemoaned how ...
Almost 30 years ago, I married at Warren First United Methodist Church then headed east to start adulthood and a career. The pastors of my youth were intellectually and spiritually challenging leaders who prepared us for discernment and witnessing Christ’s love. Their faith teachings grounded me as I started work as the communication director for United Methodist Women in New York City, then the largest women’s organization in the world. In 1998, Matthew Shepherd, a young man from Wyoming was tied to a fence and beaten to death because he was gay. James Byrd, a black man from ...
I have always made Christmas cookies. First, at home with my grandmother, then in my apartment. By the time I had my own apartment, my grandmother no longer made cookies. I would make a batch then send some to them to enjoy. Once I was married and had my own kitchen in the trailer, I again made cookies. The children loved to help. I would put some chairs by my table and let them help. What they liked the best was licking the bowl and the beaters. My love of cookies came long before. My best friend’s mother made delicious cookies. I asked if she would give out her recipes. ...
