Category: Uncategorized
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Hosanna
“Hosanna in the highest!”That ancient song we sing,for Christ is our Redeemer,the Lord of heaven, our King.O may we ever praise himwith heart and life and voice,and in his blissful presenceeternally rejoice.” Hosanna, Loud Hosanna has been one of my favorite songs for a long time; the hymn tune ELLACOMBE even longer. ELLACOMBE is the…
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Coffee in a Tidy Living Room and other Tales of Quarantine
I finished this painting today. This weekend, Andrew and I deep cleaned the living room and kitchen, as we work our way through the apartment – decluttering and tidying up. Reese is beside herself because everything is where it belongs, and she did not approve of this change in her environment. Cats, am I right?…
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Notes on A Tulip Tree
The Japanese Magnolia was first introduced to me as a Tulip Tree. The most beautiful blooms cover the tree for a few brief weeks, and usually a frost will squelch the beautiful, brief life of these glorious beauties. I noticed the other day that it feels they have been in bloom much longer this year…
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A People, A Legacy, and the Spirit of God
A sermon on Ezekiel 37:1-14 (The Valley of Dry Bones) My first experience with the congregation of Scott Boulevard Baptist Church was memorable, friendly and caring. It was everything you’d expect from this group of people-lovers, complete with a poppy seed muffin meet and greet. On May 18, 2014, I met one of the most caring…
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PreacHer
The first time I heard the term “sermon in view of a call,” I was in a seminary class called Mentoring for Congregational Ministry. I listened to the lecture, of course, knowing in my heart that it didn’t really apply to me. A sermon in view of a call is a sermon that is preached…
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Fishing For Wholeness
Yesterday’s sermon from Matthew 4:12-23 On a sunny afternoon in early December of 2002, I made my way across my college campus from my dorm to the music department to play 2 piano pieces for a jury of my professors. I got nervous so I made quite a few mistakes; and when I had finished…
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Sara ana AJ’s Local Bookstore Crawl
I was recently and wisely advised to just take every day as it comes. Andrew has submitted all his PhD applications so all we can do is live our lives every day. Stressing about it will not harken the day of knowing something one way or the other. What can we do today to nourish…
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“…and to follow the star wheresoever it went”
And by the light of that same star, the Magi came from country far. To seek for a king was their intent, and to follow the star wheresoever it went. Last Sunday, we celebrated Epiphany. The epiphany of the Lord is the revelation of God, made flesh in Jesus. In many churches, Epiphany Sunday is…
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A Decade in Review, Hopes for the Next
Last night, AJ and I rang in the new year with our friends Kali and Haley. There was much cheese dip and some kind of cream cloud on a base of chocolate cookie dipped in a chocolate shell from the International Bakery. We played Apples to Apples and the Oregon Trail card game – I…
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Finding Hope in Giving Thanks
Today’s sermon from Isaiah 63:7-9 … Have you heard of a thankfulness pumpkin? I learned about them a few years ago. Individuals and families would take a pumpkin and transform it into a rustic and interactive centerpiece for their tables, by writing things they were grateful for, on the pumpkin with a permanent marker during…
SaraInRealLife 