Who to honor, respect, esteem; to what standard to adhere?
It’s important to be connected to the body of Christ, His Church, for the good of faith, others, our own good, to respect, esteem and honor the Church leaders, for the good of unbelievers and for our souls. A brief paraphrase of the lesson Pastor presented in...
I didn’t know who I was anymore, but I’m finding out
Teacher picture taken in the 90s “I’m not a teacher anymore, but can I do this?” I muttered to myself. ‘This’ was creating an Instagram reel for The Sage Forum. I’d read an article titled, “How to bring your social media audience to Substack.” One tip:...
Persevere on Memorial Day: do the work, wait in hope
Persevere, I said to myself. I’d pressed the foot pedal too hard and turned two pages instead of one on my iPad’s forScore app. Fumbling to find the correct place in the music, I played from memory, skipped what I couldn’t remember then caught up with the...
Considering “extra” in nature and in what we have and do
Extra cheese or features, extra special treatment or upgrades, extra work hours or party favors. According to Merriam-Webster, “Extra implies excess, surplus, something additional beyond what is expected or necessary. In Latin, extra means ‘outside’ or ‘beyond’…” A...
Invest in this world, invest in the kingdom
Today, Keith and I invest ourselves to honor a relationship. At the time this post goes live, we will be attending the out-of-town memorial service of a dear friend, retired pastor, and leader of our small group. We last met in the spring of 2023 to mark Phil and...
Fear will prove to be a snare, so prove all and hold onto good
As a gardener, I have nothing to prove: although I enjoy growing things, I’m just not very good at it. Some herbs and plants do well with vagarious me plus the soil, water, and sun here on the mountain, but others, such as the scraggly rosemary in the middle...