Burnham: Speak up with words

You may think you have nothing to offer.

Don’t overlook God in the daily shuffle

God is our refuge and strength, a help always near in times of great trouble. That's why we won't be afraid when the world falls apart, when the mountains crumble into the center of the sea, when its waters roar and rage, when the mountains shake because of its surging waves.

Scharf: The gift of the spirit

This Sunday was Pentecost in the Church year - the day we mark what happened in Acts 2. If you aren't familiar - open up your Bible and read the story. Pentecost was really the kick-start to the New Testament Church - with miracles all over the place - the sound that filled the city, the flames of fire, the speaking in all those languages! Can you imagine being there? And it wasn't just the ...

McCoy: Trinity Sunday celebrates good things in threes

Now faith, hope and love remain - these three things - and the greatest of these is love.

Scharf: That the world may know

Have you ever heard someone pray for you?

The wind is blowing!

When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound from heaven like the howling of a fierce wind filled the entire house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be individual flames of fire alighting on each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit enabled them to speak.

Just a thought: your work matters

Do you know your work matters to God? Yes, and it matters to your employer and your co-workers.

Holy Spirit transforms

Do you show evidence of the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in your daily life? A look back at the disciples before and after photos gives us some things to look for in our own personal lives.

Thanks again, Mom!

How can I describe the emotions of parents who love their children? We stamp a remarkable similarity in heart and in appearance on the character of small children. This is especially true of mothers, who have even more sympathy than fathers toward the feelings of their children because they gave birth to them in great pain.

An ounce of mother

There's an old Spanish proverb: "An ounce of mother is worth a ton of priest." So, on this Mother's Day weekend, let's thank God for many ounces of godly mothers.

McCoy: Always follow the true leader

Do you remember playing games when you were younger? I love to watch children play Simon Says or Follow the Leader.

Scharf: Listen to the shepherd’s voice

McCOY: Don't get tired of doing good

I pray that your love will keep on growing and that you will fully know and understand how to make the right choices. Then you will still be pure and innocent when Christ returns. And until that day, Jesus Christ will keep you busy doing good deeds that bring glory and praise to God.

Scharf: Peace in everything

Peace be with you. That's one of those things churchgoers hear all the time. So how is it working for you? Is there peace in your world?

Scharf: Revelation

Have you ever been confused by the Bible? Ever been scared by something you've seen or read there? At the beginning of the year here as we think about improving our lives and getting into and staying in good habits (hopefully they've lasted more than three weeks), I pray that many of you have committed to read more of your Bible this year. But as you do, are there things that confuse ...

Durusau: Want reform? Throw all the rascals out

Health care reform or rather an alleged repeal of health care reform is in the news.

Brian Dale: Living in the Present

The beginning of January always carries with it certain rituals for me. I clean out my files, both paper and electronic, and replace the batteries in the smoke detectors. I review my insurance policies and start preparing my annual report to the IRS.

Grace Notes - What's it Worth?

If you remember the story of the wise men from Matthew 2, you probably remember that they did something that might strike you as a little odd. They brought stupendously valuable gifts to a baby, gold and incense and myrrh. And these three kings, these powerful, influential, important men, bowed to a child.

About Faith - The Girls Come to Town

I have two granddaughters, Maia and Audrey, who light up my life. I treasure their sweet smiles and big hugs.

Brian Dale: Lessons in a Cross

While on a mission trip to Honduras, I visited a gift shop that featured handmade items from the local community. I wanted to support the economy of that village, still struggling to pull itself out of the mire left behind by Hurricane Mitch. Some rustic earthenware might be a nice addition to my ceramic collection, I thought. But there among the pots was an ornate wooden cross, obviously handmade out of native wood ...

Scharf: See the Light

Happy Epiphany! I know that greeting isn't as popular as "Merry Christmas" or "Happy New Year," but it is a big day. Immediately following the 12 days of Christmas, Epiphany is a day (Jan. 6) when the church celebrates the fact that God has shown us his love. He's revealed (that's what the word "Epiphany" means) to us who he is and what he's done for us. So Epiphany is ...

A great new year ahead

I learned recently that Tanzania is proceeding to cut a highway through the Serengeti National Park, endangering one of the last pristine wildlife refuges in the world. Add this to other worrisome topics, like the economy, the Wiki-leaks fiasco, or Ted Turner's opinion that we should adopt the Chinese policy of one child per family, and the list of world woes can seem impressive.

The word made flesh

Wives, do you wish your husbands were better communicators? Guys, do you wish your wives didn't read things into what you say that were never there? You know what I'm talking about:

About Faith: Christmas, Blue and White

As you listen to Christmas music on the radio, you may notice two songs that get played more often than others.

Be responsible when shopping

It was just a pack of three dishcloths, a small and simple purchase. At home, I tore off the label holding them together and learned that my miniscule purchase would help support the Giving World Foundation. I Googled the name and found the website for Giving World, of Williston, Vt. Its motto is "Helping People to Help Themselves," further explained as helping the disadvantaged become self-reliant with an emphasis on programs to aid ...

Grace Notes: What will you do with the promise?

What if George Washington had lost? Would you still know his name, or would Benedict Arnold be the guy that all the third grade history projects are on?

Time to stop underhanded ways

Do you remember your first Led Zepplin album? Their first album had a song on it, "Your Time is Gonna Come," that had the line: "Lying, cheating, hurting, that's all you seem to do." I thought of that line when Wikileaks released the "cablegate" documents. The stash of diplomatic cables shows the United States or rather its diplomats, have been lying, cheating and hurting for at least the last 40-plus years. ...

Grace Notes: Repent! It’s a good thing!

Everyone knows that there's no surer way to make friends than going around telling people they are wrong, right? OK, I know you're wiser than that: People hate to hear that they are wrong. They fire back with insults, accusations, rationale and everything else to avoid the dagger of those words. We don't like to hear that we are wrong, but that's the message John the Baptist was screaming in our section of ...

About Faith: The Christmas paradox

Christmas is a time when we celebrate the paradoxical story of God becoming a human being. It is a story which upends most of the world's history of approaching God. While other religions usually attempt to span that unfathomable gap between God and humanity by human effort, Christianity claims that God solved the problem by becoming one of us.