When we hear the phrase “the dog days of summer,” we may picture a dog stretched out on a cool floor, conserving every ounce of energy while the temperature climbs outside. The expression, however, does not come from our four-legged friends. It comes from the stars. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, is […]
Amid ongoing power outages and food shortages, our sibling congregation in Placetas, Cuba, continues to be a lifeline for its community. This week, we received a message through WhatsApp from Xiomara, one of the congregation’s oldest members. Xiomara lived through the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s and remains an active leader in the church. She […]
When I was still in high school, I was asked to serve as a Deacon in the church where I grew up. I remember feeling deeply proud that the congregation that had helped nurture my faith would entrust me, even at that young age, with a ministry of care and service. I did not fully […]
When our children were little, my mother served as pastor of the Presbyterian church in Cottonwood Falls. We lived just three miles away from our little motel along Highway 50 in Strong City. Every Sunday morning, our drive to church took us through the rich bottomland of the Cottonwood River. The fields changed with the […]
One of my favorite things about the house we are renting is the garden. Over the late spring and early summer, I have watched with delight as our yard has slowly come to life. There are echinacea and daisies, roses and hollyhocks, and several other flowers that I cannot identify at all. As the flowers […]
