The quiet. The darkness. The solemn intonations of the minister. It was so quiet that you heard the breathing of the person next to you. The choral pieces were somber and slow. The scene was set to see and feel Christ on the cross. At the front of the sanctuary, a solitary tenor voice intoned, “God so loved the world that He gave His only son, that whosoever shall believe in Him should have eternal life. God did not send…..
At the center of the burned-out cathedral was a cross and an altar, untouched by the flames of a construction site accident. I was doing my chores around the house when the news broke across my television. Tears brimmed my eyes when I realized I would never be able to visit this special holy place in its original form. I felt numb knowing the Cathedral of Notre Dame would never really be the same, even as millions of people began…..
It’s Palm Sunday. The day my Lord rode into Jerusalem, with crowds waving palms and singing joyous hymns. Children brought him flowers, and adults placed their robes on the ground. All pressed into to see this man of God and touch the hem of His robe. “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” As beautiful as today is, I feel His pain approaching on Maunday Thursday. Gethsemane was a beautiful…..
I’ve always loved butterflies. Ever since I was a little child, I have marveled at their beauty and how they wander from one flower to the next, making each flower more beautiful than the last. As they made their journey to the tallest bushes in my mother’s gardens, I would chase after them with reckless abandon and often fall flat on my face trying to reach their sparkling wings, as if I could touch the face of God. They were…..
I love movies that portray the ordinary man or woman as a hero. They make us believe we are capable of doing brave and courageous things despite the non-believers of the world. We are all ordinary people until an extraordinary event pushes us to be more than we ever expected from ourselves. In that moment, we draw from our souls and make a good thing out of a bad one. Needing to relax after an emotionally taxing week, I picked…..
Recently, I encountered someone who said that Christianity is dying around the world because many Christians believe holiness is impossible in today’s chaotic and challenging world. Many Christians are incapable of changing the world; our culture has become so overwhelmingly powerful over everything we do that Christianity has no meaning for anyone. Doing random acts of kindness for those around us and anyone we come into contact with is part of being a Christian. That’s how Christianity will change individuals,…..
I think I’m ready to retire. Oh, don’t let my statement fool you. I’ve been retired from public school teaching for 11 years, but I just couldn’t let the kids go. I’ve continued teaching private music students on every musical instrument since my official retirement. I retired seven years ago from serving churches after 40 years of service, but I still fill in for churches when their musicians need vacations or medical leave. And just recently as I was accompanying…..
Where were you on 9/11? It’s a question asked of countless individuals, families, and members of our armed forces and service groups across our nation. That day ushered a sleeping, naive nation into modern-day terrorism, anger, devastation, and hate. The old adage, “wish for the best but prepare for the worst,” has become a part of who we are as individuals and as a nation. As the strongest nation in the world, we are no longer just the protector of…..
After so many snow storms this winter, the peace of pure white snow has worn off. The weather people say we’ve had over 30 feet of snow this year. I’m so anxious for spring and seeing my crocuses top out of the snow. There’s almost 5 feet of snow over their tiny heads. Despite the dramatically colder, snowy winter, there is a hint of spring, a re-birth of all the colors in God’s rainbow, hidden in small temperature rises. What…..
Musician, composer, poet, painter, author, teacher, and director of church music/organist: all of these titles describe me. These art forms influenced my journey through life and created my desire to be the most loving and artistic Christian woman I can be. I believe God plants seeds in all of us, seeds that form the foundations of our human needs and our hearts’ desires. We have physical characteristics and human behaviors that identify us, but our intelligent and emotional being develops…..