There was a season not long ago when the mention of Christmas brought the same snarl to my heart as a child opening a shaker of glitter in my kitchen would. Why? Just why? "Festival of Consumption," I grumbled inwardly while outwardly going through the motions expected of the mother of small children. Then I… Continue reading On Advent, 10 foot tall Bumbles and blinging all the way
Tag: joy
What blood can do
It is not an easy thing to be human. Our story includes such a powerful and persistant villain. This was true 2,000 years ago -- when unopposed government might and faithless religion were among Satan's works of the day. It is true today -- as anyone with any exposure to the news surely knows. This… Continue reading What blood can do
The Power of Oranges
There was a time in the 1900s -- beginning by at least the Great Depression and ending sometime in the late 1980s -- when brown paper bags filled with fruit, nuts and candy were a thing in the low-church world. On the last service before Christmas Day, each person in attendance (including babies) received a… Continue reading The Power of Oranges
Serendipity & Sorrel
A whopper container on our deck has somehow become a buffet for wild things. It started out innocently enough as a pot full of violas and pansies. They were the first deck flowers of the growing season, strategically placed where I could see them from the kitchen window. As the garden marched into summer, however,… Continue reading Serendipity & Sorrel
When church goes right … and it makes the national news!
The Rev. Darrell Cummings of Bethlehem Apostolic Temple in Wheeling, W.Va., jokes with Dallas Cowboys player C.J. Goodwin, who grew up attending the church. Photos by Rebecca Kiger, story by Nora Edinger. Reprinted with permission from The Washington Post Magazine. “We’re not a Black church or a White church. We’re just a church,” the Rev.… Continue reading When church goes right … and it makes the national news!
