Newsletter
April-May 2017 Newsletter
On the first Easter Sunday morning, two women were in for the surprise of their lives. Instead of finding a closed tomb, they found an open grave, and an angel greeting them. For them and for every follower of the Lord Jesus, life would never be the same. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead changed the course of history.
Continue ReadingFebruary-March 2017 Newsletter
Liminality is a term coming from the Latin word limen, meaning “threshold.” Liminal space, then, is that threshold between two times. When changes are afoot, perhaps, but we’re not sure what they will be or when they will come.
Continue ReadingDecember 2016 – January 2017 Newsletter
The conversation was nearly identical to many I’ve joined in past years at this same time of year. A group of church leaders was wondering how to “keep Advent” in a society that moves directly from Halloween to Christmas—with a very brief detour to Thanksgiving.
Continue ReadingJune-July 2016 Newsletter
Summer is the season we Americans celebrate our freedom. The season begins with our remembering, on Memorial Day, those who died in many wars in order to win and preserve our nation’s freedom. We join family and friends for picnics and shoot off fireworks on Independence Day to celebrate “liberty and justice for all.” It is truly a blessing to live in a nation that offers most of us so much freedom.
Continue ReadingMay 2016 Newsletter
It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve seen the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy’s “There’s no place like home” line always makes me cry. The recent delightful production at Sioux Falls Christian was no exception. Dorothy’s heart’s desire is to return to her beloved Kansas and her cherished family and friends.
Continue ReadingApril 2016 Newsletter
Spirit of Joy had just finished celebrating the Resurrection of Our Lord for the third time on Sunday. It was a joyous morning, filled with Good News and great music in a flower-adorned sanctuary. The ringing declarations by worshipers that, “Christ has risen! He has risen indeed! Alleluia!” still echoed after the last worshiper went home.
Continue ReadingWindswept – March 2016
We love to hear a story in which the “underdog” somehow manages to make it out on top–it is both heart-warming and exciting! I wonder if Jesus’ very first followers could have anticipated how his story would unfold? Jesus had told them that he would suffer—they didn’t want to believe it. Jesus told them he would die—they definitely didn’t want to believe that. When Jesus did die on the cross, things surely looked grim. What would become of them?
Continue ReadingWindswept – February 2016
O taste and see that the LORD is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him. —Psalm 34:8
One of God’s greatest gifts are the five senses God has given us to take in and enjoy all that God has made.
Continue ReadingWindswept – January 2016
Happy New Year! This seems to be the time of year when many of us think about what was and what may come, and we resolve-sometimes successfully and sometimes not so much-to try to “better ourselves”, quite often in the area of living a healthier lifestyle.
Continue ReadingWindswept – December 2015
What are you waiting for? When have you longed for the dawn? Waiting – for all kinds of things – is part of our human condition, isn’t it? We wait for longed for events, for births, spring-time, reunions, and promotions. We also wait for test results, an illness to pass, for a loved one’s forgiveness, for conflict resolution, for the gentle death of an aged love one. When will the dawn come?
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