Pastor’s Message (Page 23)

What do you look like?

Dear friends, So, what does a “real” Jesus’ follower look like? How can you know if someone is the “real” deal? ☺ Can you spot a real believer by knowing their political affiliation? ☺ Can you identify a child of God based on how they vote on political and social issues? ☺ If they have…

An Uphill Battle

Quilotoa is one of many volcanic wonders in Ecuador. It is a 2-mile-wide lake filling a dormant volcano that collapsed many years ago. In 2018 Valorie and I were able to visit our daughter Elena during her semester in Quito. We chose Quilotoa as a scenic and “easy” hike because the next day we planned…

What’s in the box?

Dear loved ones, With online shopping getting more and more popular, it’s very common these days to see mail carriers coming to the door with multiple packages. As the doorbell rings, we are filled with two questions. First, “Is it for ME?” and, if so, second, “What IS it?” Unless you have zero impulse control and simply rip the package…

Impeachment

Happy Thanksgiving, Our news headlines have been dominated it seems with “impeachment.” Most of us are familiar with the normal definition, “The presentation of formal charges against a public official by the lower house, trial to be before the upper house.” Did you notice the last two words in the last sentence?  We will all…

Better late than never!

Dear Sisters and Brothers in the United Peoples of Jesus the Messiah (UPJM), I’m sorry that I failed to send you a pre-Sunday message. So, to make it up to you, I’m hitting “send” on a post-Sunday greeting on this spectacular Tuesday morning. First, I’m soaring today because strong chains of injustice were shattered yesterday…

“You are not our daughter anymore.”

“You are not our daughter anymore.” They were the last words 11 year old Saree* heard her father say to her as she stood in the street, holding the clothes her family shoved at her while slamming the door in her face. How would you respond if you were Saree? This Sunday we will join…