When a church like ours entertains a Candidate Sunday, you never know how it will go. Perhaps that is why it so interesting and edgy. A candidate comes, presents, lays bare his soul, makes a case for his leadership, and then you and I get to decide. Having been in this circumstance six times, I […]
A LAST TRIBUTE TO FRED AND MARNY SMITH
The other shoe has finally fallen. Yesterday Fred and Marny moved to Easthampton, MA. I could only say so much about their illustrious lives before we sang our farewell hymn. May I share a couple other bits redolent of their years with us as matriarch and patriarch? One obvious gift was who they were as […]
DILEMMAS OF LIVING AND DYING FOR GOD
As I see Benjamin Geeding graduate from Yale Divinity School in May, I recall graduating there 40 years ago nearly to the day. I was filled with ideals and ready to make sacrifice, even my own life if need be. I could summon scenarios where I would be called upon and, yes, even die for the Gospel and the church of Christ.
WE CAN TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED ANYMORE
Attending divinity school in the 1970s, I had to ask a hard question: did I believe enough church ‘was left’ for me to have a career in parish ministry. Corrosive forces were already at work eroding the church in American homes and society. From 1963 to 1985, parish ministry switched from a high status/low stress job to low status/high stress job.
WHERE WE FIND GLORY
Martin Luther said, you can tell what people believe by the things for which we willingly sacrifice our children. We see wealthy elites gladly sacrificing children on altars of achievement to define self-worth, class privilege to rig outcomes for their own, and raw parental ambition to corrupt rather than promote their teens’ well-being. All of it is saturated with a narcissism that makes it sound like a good idea.
KAREN PASSES THE BATON TO CARA
“Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in very much; and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in very much.” As we studied that verse at our Bible Study of Luke last Wednesday, my thoughts naturally turned toward Karen Hansen, her 18 years of faithful service to FCC, Darien, and her quiet but essential role as our Treasurer.