I am reading a fascinating book titled Savage Continent by Keith Lowe that focuses on the aftermath of World War II in Europe. It spends a long time outlining what life looked like for citizens and the masses of displaced peoples who had been imprisoned in work camps, concentration camps, and prison camps throughout Nazi … [Read more…]
The new preschool education standards focus on evaluating and teaching lessons in social emotional skills. This is something that was never present in preschool or public school educational goals in the past. Part of the social emotional educational goals is to teach empathy and conflict management skills. However, it has occurred to me that as … [Read more…]
I was watching the news the other day and like many people I find it increasingly more difficult to find reports that give me hope in the future of this world. There are reports of all consuming fires, bullying, more people dying from the flu, people dying from war, and copious amounts of political infighting. … [Read more…]
My holidays are always jam packed with events, visiting, and friends home for the holidays. Every year it is a mad dash to figure out Christmas gifts, thanksgiving plans, cooking and baking, birthday gifts and celebrations, church events, and by the way add in seeing our friends when they are home seeing their families. And … [Read more…]
The greatest thing that anyone can do in life is to do something kind for someone else. We have probably all experienced the healing powers of the kindness of family and strangers. This past week, I was at the grocery store picking up a few things. I thought that I really didn’t even need a … [Read more…]
Have you ever watched the tele-evangelists? When I was in graduate school there were many nights where I couldn’t sleep. So I would get up put on a coat and walk to the student lounge and watch TV. I had the keys to everything on the campus so I could let myself in anywhere I … [Read more…]
How important are credentials to you? How might you feel going in for surgery and finding out that the person doing the surgery was self taught? When I was a teenager, I had a huge fear of needles and blood work. I had to go to Yale Medical Center to get some blood work and … [Read more…]
Times of question are a way of life for all of us. Doubt is a constant friend for many of us. Life does not make faith and living the faithful life easy. We experience death, loss, hatred, persecution, war, and other challenges. Sometimes when we get up in the morning it can feel as if … [Read more…]
If you had to define a Christian to someone, what words would you use? (Invite congregation to help) When Bill and I first started dating, my father-in-law had a very specific idea of what a Christian was from his experiences as a Jewish man. And I must say his views were not flattering. Yet they … [Read more…]
Our parents are our earliest teachers. It is from them that our personalities are molded and our values are shaped. Our parents provide us with the foundations of who we are: flaws and all. Mothers, and those who have been like mothers, help to teach us what is important in life and how to be … [Read more…]
