“At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.” (Matthew 4.1) The desert inhabitant Michael Branch often writes about his home in the western Great Basin Desert, “a stark and extreme landscape,” he says, “one that shows no concern for our flourishing or even our survival.”… Continue reading Get Real
The Road Less Traveled
“For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?” (Matthew 5.48) He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. And then he… Continue reading The Road Less Traveled
Great Expectations
“Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5.20) When asked why he joined the Marines, a young man, who had left behind the comforts of family and farm, explained his reasons in this way. “I wanted to be tested,” he said. “All my… Continue reading Great Expectations
Be Mine
As I see it, Valentine’s Day and Sweethearts belong together, like strawberries and chocolate or like Sonny and Cher, before the divorce, of course. That’s why Valentine’s Day last year lost some of its sweetness--literally--when Sweethearts--those heart-shaped candies with imprinted messages such as “Be Mine” or “”Kiss Me”--were not sold. It was a big deal,… Continue reading Be Mine
Become Something More
“If salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned?” It is no longer good for anything.” (Matthew 5.13) Sharing stories of her growing-up years, my mother often spoke of the brine barrel in the cellar of the old farmhouse. Since I was unfamiliar with such a thing, she had to explain its function,… Continue reading Become Something More
Learning to Read
Reading the newspaper the other day, I learned that my childhood friend, Nancy Drew, celebrates her 90th birthday later this year. Honestly, I didn’t know she was that old, still thinking of her as the plucky sixteen-year-old girl that I knew back in my younger days. Nor did I know there was such an age… Continue reading Learning to Read
Two or Three Tonsorial Thoughts
When I was a little boy, my mom shampooed my hair at the kitchen sink. Part cattle driver and part homeroom teacher, she’d line my brothers and sisters and me into a single file alongside the kitchen cabinet, much like customers at the post office during the holiday rush. Then, with a smooth, swift, and… Continue reading Two or Three Tonsorial Thoughts
Seek the Good
“For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples.” (Luke 2.30-31) Somewhere there is a story about a young boy who went on a camping trip with his dad to the Adirondacks Mountains in New York. For a good part of the excursion, they decided to hire… Continue reading Seek the Good
“And the Light Was Good”
“He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.” (Matthew 4.13) A favorite gospel song of small children, learned in Sunday school or in Bible camps or at home, is “This Little Light of Mine.” Written sometime in the 1920's, the simple stanzas, filled with… Continue reading “And the Light Was Good”
Not Complicated Stuff
“The reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” (John 1.31) Back in the day, when settlers moved to the Great Plains to start a new life, they were allowed by the Homestead Act of 1862 to claim 160 acres of land as their own, so long… Continue reading Not Complicated Stuff
Sunday Brunch 