The Human Spirit
By David Van Cleve
I have been crying a lot lately. Mostly when I think of the hardships being inflicted upon, and being endured by, the people of Ukraine. But even more so because of all the images of their response to these hardships. Grit, courage, optimism in the face of long odds, unity in a common goal, a 7 year-old girl singing in a bunker. These all apply.
IN THE IMAGE OF THE CREATOR
By Linda Hogue
There was a time in my life when I began to question everything. I suppose that was characteristic of my generation. During this particular era, I questioned the place of art and creativity, and wrestled with balancing that with my responsibility to make good use of time and resources.
Read With Your Heart
By Wes Ellis
…As someone who truly loves to examine the text of scripture, to analyze it and mine it for all its meaning, I recognize that sometimes what we need isn’t to worry about what the text means to us, but to consider what it might do to us. If we let ourselves simply listen and imagine God speaking to us, what might happen to us?
Being More Of Who We Ought To Be
By Rev. Alex Dreese
As the Lenten season begins again for us, we are each invited to take a very important journey. In one sense it is a journey to Easter that the Christian church has been taking for centuries. In another sense there is a very personal dimension to it.
Call Me Naïve
By Linda Hogue
There are many things that could be attributed to chance... or circumstance... or the generosity of others… or our own wits. I don’t doubt that these things play a part in the events of our lives (though I’m still wondering about that chance bit). But what if I attribute a good thing to God?
Pastor Wes on “Lunch with the Chamber”
Pastor Wes was interviewed on this week’s edition of “Lunch with the Chamber” on the Ramona Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.
A Different Lesson
By Matt Nuth
The older I get, the more I understand that I have so much more to learn. I get this shot of humility every day as situations arise that provide me the opportunity to look at them in a different way than I did yesterday. Recently, I had a look at the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard through a different lens to learn an additional lesson.
Name The Mystery
By Dr. Wes Ellis
…But a person cannot be contained in a riddle and neither can the God of the universe. A person is a mystery…. they can never be solved but they can be seen, heard, and named. To know a person is different from knowing a math problem. You can only know a person by being in relationship with them.
Hope ≠ Optimism
By Rev Steve Swope
…“Optimism and hope are not the same. Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better; hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better.”
Small Faith
By Linda Hogue
Does God ever invade your thoughts in such a way that it stops you dead in your tracks? It happens to me every now and then. He mostly corrects me, but I don’t care because I’m just so glad to hear from Him. And really, when you think about it, it shows He cares. It also shows He believes I can do better.
The Big Game
By Ratko Filipovich
…There are a lot of reasons somebody could be happy with success in the end. For me it would be that while everybody is celebrating, the quarterback runs to me to tap my shoulder in the end zone with a few words like, “You did it, and I am proud of you!”
Prayer & Unbelief
By Pastor Wes Ellis
…I think some of us would be embarrassed to admit how seldom we actually stop and pray. Some of us are probably embarrassed to confess that we’re not sure we even know how to pray. The fact is, you’re not alone if you’re one of those people. Prayer is difficult.
Does God Truly Answer Prayers?
By Matt Nuth
Time after time I get the opportunity to get reacquainted with prayer. I say “reacquainted” not because I have fallen away from prayer, but because circumstance force me to learn something new about prayer and my faith in God.
AGREE TO DISAGREE
By Hal Mortier
The Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, left or right, mask or no mask, vaccination or no vaccination; but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit
Come From Away
By David Van Cleve
Last fall, we had some friends from the “theater world,” Scott and Deb, visit our home. When they found out Mary and I were planning a trip to Broadway to see some high school friends and catch some shows, Scott asked, “Have you heard of ‘Come From Away?’”
Being Right Is Overrated
By Dr. Wes Ellis
Throughout history Christians have looked to the original disciples as exemplars of our faith, as giants of the tradition. ….So it’s kinda funny how ignorant they actually were.
REFLECTIONS OF A DESERT PADRE
By Michael Malone
Twelve years ago I was leading a retreat with my UCC Church in Connecticut. One of the points I made really got under the skin of an attendee, one of the rock-solid members of the church. Ginny was a hardcore progressive, and she was the backbone of our mission work in the community. She never missed a Sunday. Her partner, whom she had been with for years, was a staunch Unitarian.
What upset Ginny was that I had said in order to call someone a Christian, they needed to be involved in a faith community.
From Crisis to Creativity
A message from Pastor Wes from the February edition of The Herald.