Pastor’s Blog

The Shadow was growing. Darkness was on the move; light seemed to be in retreat. A nervous fear gripped many. Some hid while others didn’t want to talk about it. But there were some that wanted to know what to do. But formerly trusted voices were silent. A few of those voices spoke out but […]

The “dummy light” comes on every 3,000 miles in our car. Time for another oil change. I appreciate the reminder but do not like it when the red oil can flashes red on my dashboard. But I better pay attention to it. After addressed, I enjoy hitting the reset button that makes it go away […]

[The following is chapter 15 in Pastor Rich’s children’s book, If They Could Talk: letters from those who were there. The book concerns the story of our redemption as it unfolds from Genesis to Revelation. “A Sheep’s Surprise” is the story of the angelic announcement of Jesus’ birth as found in Luke 2. The sheep […]

We are days away from celebrating Christmas. For many, the day is one of memories. Of being a child, of opening presents, of traveling “over the hills and through the woods to grandma’s house,” and so on. Foodies recall the smells and tastes of the season. Romantics remember the simpler days. Moms and dads recall […]

It had been some time since I had been to Seattle. I’m not a big fan of traffic, vaccine passports, and the overall mess of things in Blue Washington’s prized bluest city. But I was passing through this past week and found myself enjoying the lights of the season. One home just off the interstate […]

Weary from the week and frankly with nothing better to do, Sam went to bed. Besides, he had to winterize the home in the morning. If the weather cooperated, he might even throw up some Christmas lights. Something he hadn’t done for years. He hadn’t been real “Christmasee” for a while. He hadn’t been since […]

In years past political parties used to speak of their “platform,” a formal collection of their positions and aspirations. “Planks” made up their platform, statements and positions on individual issues such as tax rates, domestic goals, foreign policy, and so forth. In years gone by, civil debate and discussion took place between politicians and constituents […]

G.K. Chesterton, a large man with an even larger wit, had the rare gift of saying much with little. His few words on a matter were often poignant, sharp, and provocative. He did not need a paragraph. He just needed a sentence. One hundred years ago he advised his contemporaries, “Do not be so open-minded […]

My disgust has gone from simmering to boiling the past few months. I am referring to our civil overlords who believe their role and title is Over Lord. Some believe they suffer from narcissism. That may be. But I believe the better diagnosis is demi-god. Their arrogance, hubris, and condescending self-importance busted the scale months […]

There are two things I have never done (actually, there are millions of things I have never done). But you know what I mean. The first is that I have never walked into a military recruiter’s office. But I imagine some of their spiel, “Come see the world”; “The GI bill will be waiting for […]

Spurgeon once said that when God begins to work, it always looks more like an undoing than a doing. That is because it is often necessary to tear down before one can build up. Or, as the numerous home improvement shows on television demonstrate, demolition is the first task of the remodel. The best stories […]