UMC Hymnal #711 - Author William How. Churches in the mainline and those with more liturgical styles recognize All Saints Day on the Christian calendar. It’s officially November 1 but celebrated in worship on the first Sunday of November. For those who don’t follow this cycle of identifying special days during the year, you might … Continue reading For All The Saints
Christian Life
What’s Your Take on Halloween?
In light of this week's beloved and hated holiday, I want to share some thoughts. This is yet another topic that divides Christians, and like many other points of disagreement, it is not a simple one. Our theology directs us to one side or the other on the subject of Halloween. An oversimplification may set … Continue reading What’s Your Take on Halloween?
Homecoming and Sukkot
Fall means Homecoming for many high schools and colleges. It’s time for football games that present the Homecoming Court with the King, Queen, and attendants. Small towns have parades, and students have been happy to escape classes to decorate floats with this year’s theme. The community turns out to watch their children ride the floats, … Continue reading Homecoming and Sukkot
Fault-finding Fallacy
I did it again. I watched him sigh and leave the room. He didn’t snap back. He just removed himself from my criticism. He used to throw a quick response back, but not so much anymore. I immediately felt guilty, because I knew I fell back into the familiar pattern of fault-finding. My motive is … Continue reading Fault-finding Fallacy
Dental Floss for the Soul
I’m thankful for social media. I’m thankful that I finally gave in and joined the party. I’ve met so many nice, interesting, faith-filled, smart, funny people – everyone doesn’t necessarily have all five qualities. I’m doing the #DailyGratitude challenge again this month on Twitter. It’s a great spiritual discipline to make the first post of … Continue reading Dental Floss for the Soul
Lives of Desperation
Nobody checks themselves into a mental health facility just for the fun of it. Desperation is usually the motivation. For several years, I was a therapist for a partial hospitalization program. Many of the patients were middle aged adults who were in desperate situations. Our partial program served people who had dual diagnoses of mental … Continue reading Lives of Desperation
Crossing Thresholds
How many times do you cross a threshold every day? It’s not something we even think about. We go in and out of rooms. We enter and exit buildings. We pass through gates and other openings as part of our normal routine – unless we’re forced to crawl through a window when we lock ourselves … Continue reading Crossing Thresholds
