Therefore, putting away falsehood, let everyone speak the truth with the neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let go down on our anger. (Ephesians 4:15-16) I, naively and incorrectly it turns out, thought that later in life with children raised, income more or less stable, and job issues resolved by virtue or retirement; I’d mellow out and remain relatively calm, cool, and collected in all […]
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Children in search of a blessing
Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14). I recently met a young man who will be in Houston for a year with AmeriCorp’s VISTA program. I was impressed with his story so I invited him to tell it via my blog. I am pleased to introduce you all to Kenneth Burchfiel. He’s available to speak to congregations in the […]
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How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land? (Psalm 137:4) This snippet of scripture was written by a homesick Jew in Babylon after his people were taken there following the invasion of their homeland. They were supposed to just deal with it and get over it already yet. Being torn away from all that is familiar is seldom that easy.
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Re-Writing the Script
“Hear the word of the Lord, O people of Israel: for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. There is no faithfulness or kindness, and no knowledge of God in the land; there is swearing, lying, killing, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds and murder follows murder.” Though this reads like it might have come straight from today’s news, it’s actually from Hosea 4:1-2 which was written back in […]
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Walter Kase
August 1929 – March 2015 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4) The Houston community said farewell to a gentle giant March 8. Walter Kase became one of the best known spokesmen for the need for mutual respect among people who come from very different backgrounds. He told his story of confinement in a Nazi concentration camp thousands of times wherever people were willing to listen.
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