Pastor Don's Ponderings

 It is Pentecost Sunday, the day the Church of Jesus Christ celebrates being birthed in the wind and fires of Ruah, the Holy Spirit. On that day the disciples were gathered together and the sound of a rushing wind surrounded them and fires as of flames danced on their heads. Their hearts were opened and their lips were inspired to proclaim the Goodness of God through Jesus Christ in the languages of all those who were present around them.  In an instant, these Galileans who were mostly undereducated and unworldly became the purveyors of Wisdom beyond their knowing and Faith beyond their understanding. God was doing a new thing in that moment and, for those who hearts remain open today, God is still at work birthing the Good News in wonderful ways.  Nancy and I recently returned from a vacation given to us by our children as a gift to honor our wedding anniversary and my retirement from fulltime ministry. This trip took us on an eight day, seven night cruise to Alaska, beg...

Sometimes it seems that our American culture has become so obsessed with rooting out the worst seen in each other that we have lost our own sense of the good God has placed in each one of God's own children. It is as if the Kingdom can only be that which we approve it as being. When Jesus speaks in parables concerning the Kingdom of God in the Gospel according to Matthew, He teaches about the tiny mustard seed, the beautiful pearl, the hidden treasure, the yeast . . . and of a Sower who casts seeds about willy-nilly, and of a Landowner willing to allow the weeds to grow up along with the wheat until the day of harvest. In telling His parables, I wonder if Jesus ever took into account the possibility that the created would one day weary of searching for the plantings of the Creator? That rather than seek the mustard seed we would only be happy with the full-grown bush? That instead of treasuring the found pearl we would insist on the full jewelry store? That instead of committing ou...

Jeremiah received the Lord’s word: Go down to the potter’s house, and I’ll give you instructions about what to do there. So I went down to the potter’s house; he was working on the potter’s wheel.  But the piece he was making was flawed while still in his hands, so the potter started on another, as seemed best to him.  Then the Lord’s word came to me: House of Israel,  can’t I deal with you like this potter, declares the Lord?  Like clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in mine, house of Israel! Jeremiah 18:1-6 CEB   The good news is this: We are in God’s hands. We may be cracked, flawed, weak, unprepared, seemingly unusable, unstable or even outright broken, yet we are still in God’s hands. I don’t know about you, but I am clinging to that good news with all my heart, mind and spirit!! Pulling down statues does not change history. Changing your heart and being molded by the Potter transforms the present and the future. Covid-19 exploits our weaknesses...

'FAMILY' IS THE VISION OF WHAT EVERYONE BECOMES WHEN WE ENTER THE KINGDOM. I AM ETERNALLY GRATEFUL THAT YOU AND I ARE PRIVILEGED TO EXPERIENCE THE VISION OF FAMILY HERE ON EARTH, A FORETASTE OF WHAT IS TO COME IN CHRIST. "On earth as it is in Heaven."

Sometimes The hardest part of taking control of a difficult situation is giving it over to God. Give today and everyday over to God and allow God's Peace to be your own. (c)dcw2020 Photograph (c)dcw2019

How many times has it been said to me, "Just stay on track!"? Then I see a sight such as this and mull on those words as a blessing . . . May the track your life is on bring you to the newness of sunrise each day. May your every sunrise be filled with the colors of beauty and delight. May you not be so busy that you don't have time to have a cup of coffee and visit with the people at the rail side elevator as you move ahead. May the 'sailor's warning' of such a dawning find its resolve in the 'sailor's delight' of an evening spent with friends and family reflecting on a day lived well. At the spot where rails and trees seem to converge, may you find your way continuing to open before you, straight and true, leading to peace and content along the way. May the foundation under your tracks be set upon the certainty of Faith in God, the strength of Christ the Rock, and the solid unwavering Love of the Holy Spirit. May the countryside through...

On my way to work this morning I called my brother, Larry, to find out what is going on at the family farm. It was one of those moments when, as soon as he spoke, I knew he had a cold. You could almost hear and see the sinus' dripping through the cell connections and he sounded horribly stuffed up . . . and he was walking towards the shop as he talked with me: They are working on the planter today. Rain, sleet, snow, burning sunshine, foggy mornings, there is always something to be done on the farm and rarely, rarely, is there time for sickness of any kind. This is the mindset into which I grew up on our family dairy farm: No matter how you feel, the cows still have to be milked, the heifers and calves have to be fed, the chores need to be completed and, oh if that isn't enough during this time of the year, there are always fences to be fixed, trees to be trimmed in the pasture, equipment needing repair before Spring and book work to be done to facilitate everything else. ...