Author: Guest Contributor

There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are they among so many? (John 6:9) Morgan Marsh McGlone is a special 8-year-old from Belleville Wisconsin. On Inauguration Day, she was highlighted for her efforts to help the homeless, unemployed, and hungry in her community. She raised over $53,000 […]

“…And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8) While January 15 marks the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, it is on this day, January 18 that we observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. An American Baptist minister and […]

. . . for God is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as God is merciful. (Luke 6:36) When the world that sustains my life and dreams disappoints me, I reach back for words that shock my senses and wake me from my prejudice and complacency. It is easy to go along with […]

Sing aloud to God our strength, shout for joy to the God of Jacob. Raise a song, sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp. Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our festal day. (Psalm 81: 1-2) As I have looked back over the past year, I am […]

Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among people. (Luke 2:14) Christmas Day was a day of joy, confusion, and hurry in my childhood home in Connecticut. After the unwrapping of gifts and breakfast together, we piled in the car for Christmas Day worship, as was our Methodist custom. When worship ended […]

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) One of the gifts of the Christmas season is its luminosity…the way the season lights up offering a feast for the eyes. I love the twinkle lights on both […]

An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.  Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers . . . (Matthew 1:1-17) My cousins are using the stay-at-home social distancing time to mine material they are […]

Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. Surely God’s salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land. Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet: righteousness […]

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed are those who trust in God!(Psalm 34:8) As the days grow shorter and the pandemic continues longer, I find myself thinking about the times, people, and places that brought me immense joy. Their portraits are a little dusty in the hallways of my mind but […]

Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. (Jeremiah 6:16) While living up north, away from our Naples home, my mind often travels to our beautiful labyrinth at Naples UCC. It’s circular pattern rests […]