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Living the Faith for Now and the Future
More than a month ago I went to Boy Scout Troop 3’s Red and White Banquet. It’s an annual dinner and program for the Scouts and their families that celebrates the Troop over the past year. And every year the same thing always amazes me. On the one hand you have a handful of 10-…
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Hope Anyway
“You can spend your whole life building, Something from nothin’One storm can come and blow it all way, Build it anyway.“You can chase a dream that seems so out of reach,And you know it might not ever come your way, Dream it anyway.(Chorus) “God is great, but sometimes life isn’t goodWhen I pray it doesn’t…
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The Season of Hope
As the tulips and daffodils push their way through the cold ground I remember an experience and the surprising way of hope. It was over 35 years ago. It was before I went to seminary. I was working at a church north of Seattle. And one of the things I did was drive the bus…
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Real (?) and Human Real
I was listening to music on my I-Phone a couple nights ago. Usually, I get it started with something like “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young, and then the algorithm of the You Tube program will pick songs that are similar. And so it did, one song after another. And then it played a song I…
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“The Front Door”
The Christmas decorations came down in my house about the middle of January. The tree came down. The outdoor wreaths and lights came down. The ornaments and angels and santas and snow globe all came down. They have gone into boxes for hibernation in the basement awaiting the next Christmas season. I don’t do a…
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“In the Glow of the Lights”
I was talking with my mom about a week before Christmas. We were talking about all the “getting ready for Christmas” activities for family and 1st Church. There was still lots to do, lots to enjoy, and lots to plan. And then it would be over. Life moves on to New Year’s Day. I commented…
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Your Christmas Carol
“Christmas! Bah, humbug!” The infamous line belongs, of course, to Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol. And this year countless people will once again hear Scrooge “humbug Christmas” by reading the book or watching a version in a move or seeing a play. “Humbug” itself means dishonest talk or behavior meant to deceive…
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Turning On the Light for You
It’s 7AM. It’s dark. Winter is coming. So it’s chilly. The street lights are still on. The Shenango Valley is waking up. Most lights in businesses along State Street are off. But the lights at Panera Bread are on. It’s Wednesday. The 1st Church Men’s Group is meeting at Panera. Some employees arrive early to…
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Sunflowers and Doing Good
It’s a world record. At 35 feet tall, Charlie Babich has grown the tallest sunflower in the backyard of his home in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The flower is named “Clover” and was recently measured for the Guinness World Records. It’s as tall as most power poles. A trellis helps hold it up. Charlie immigrated to…
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Jesus and Fred
A friend had some custom ball caps made. He gave me one. It’s a light, sandy beige in color. The color doesn’t call attention to the cap. It’s subtle. And on the front it says “Jesus and Fred.” Not “Jesus and Me.” Not “Jesus and Power.” And not “Jesus and Politics.” Rather, it’s just “Jesus…
The First Presbyterian Church of Sharon 