Musings

By Myrna Conrad We are in the middle of celebrating two very patriotic holidays, Memorial Day and Independence Day. Memorial Day commemorates the men and women who have died in military service for the U.S. Independence Day (Fourth of July) celebrates the birth of American independence from Great Britain on...

By Dave Holland “She’s the most beautiful girl in the world with the prettiest voice I’ve ever heard,” mused my seven-year-old boy brain as Mom sat at the piano singing ‘What a Friend We have in Jesus.’” Tragic events, two failed marriages, and alcohol battered Mom’s life, but I never lost...

By Courtney Lindberg, Arborbrook Financial I made a lot of bad decisions as a teenager. I neglected my education, many of my friends were not the best, and I was increasingly disrespectful to my parents. In hindsight, we see things clearer. I didn’t see then that their breaking marriage was...

By Myrna Conrad Covid 19 has changed so much of our world and how it functions. But, one of the most devastating changes has been how it has so drastically impacted human-to-human interaction. It seems that face-to-face interaction, close connection and contact had already started to diminish even before Covid. So,...

By Sean Dietrich My wife and I are going out to dinner tonight. I am waiting for her to get ready. She is in the bathroom, standing before a mirror, pinching her tummy. She asks if I think she is fat. “No,” I say. She frowns. “You sure?” “Yes.” “Well, I feel fat.” She...

By Sean Dietrich “Will the room please settle down before the dance begins?!” says Gary to the elderly crowd in the nursing home cafeteria. “Simmer down, please!” Gary is an old man with a saxophone dangling from his neck. He speaks over a microphone, addressing old folks who are all wearing...

A Pastor's Ponderings By Dave Holland On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of...

By Myrna Conrad Since this is the month of Easter, I want to reflect on and talk about grace. I know there are various definitions of grace. Among them are: “simple elegance or refinement of movement;” “an attractively polite manner of behaving;” and “a period officially allowed for payment of...

By Gueary Clendenning Easter Reflections In our culture, we think of the day as starting in the morning and ending with night. In the Biblical culture, the opposite is true. Genesis chapter 1, verse 5 reads: “And the evening and the morning were the first day.” In the Jewish calendar, the...

By Dave Holland “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was...