Pastor’s Ponderings

5 When Jesus[a] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for...

Bishop Bruce R. Ough issued the following statement May 31, 2020, amid protests and violence happening in Minneapolis six days after the death of George Floyd. Bishop Ough is the Resident Bishop of the Dakotas-Minnesota Area. Dr. Martin Luther King astutely observed...

I’ve been reading Erik Larson’s book, The Splendid and the Vile, that tells the story of the Battle of Britain from the perspective of Winston Churchill and his immediate family. From June 10, 1940 until June 1941, London and several other cities in Great Britain...

With stores and other businesses starting to re-opening with restrictions, churches will have to consider what is best to do with regard to worship. Not only will that mean roping off pews and wearing masks, disinfecting spaces and providing hand sanitizer. It will...

One of the things that has been a topic of conversation in lots of homes and media outlets is “When will things re-open?”  As much as we all would like to go back to life as we knew it before the outbreak of this pandemic, it’s not really going to be possible for the...

Today would have been the start of the 2020 General Conference of the United Methodist Church. Five months ago, there was lots of conversation about the future of the denomination and various plans that would have divided up assets and liabilities and who might get to...

I hope you are doing well, in good health and in good spirits as we continue to practice social distancing and new living conditions.  Sometime last week we passed the forty-day mark since Governor Hogan declared a state of emergency and instructed us to stay at...

This is usually challenging time for all of us. I find myself wishing that I could do more to help, but I really don’t know what I can do. Some of you have been busy making masks or other personal protective equipment, but I don’t know how to sew. I want to help local...

It’s been a month since Governor Hogan shut down the public schools and asked all of us to stay at home as much as possible. It’s also the time after Easter. Even though this was not a normal Easter for any of us, it was still something we looked forward to with...

When I was ten, eleven and twelve years old, a highlight of my summer was going to camp. I would go to a music camp for a week and then a week at scout camp. Between making friends, working on merit badges, swimming in a pool and playing the trumpet, each week was...