As your pastor I want to be strong. But I would be lying if I told you have not had some sleepless nights and some melt-down moments. At times my heart feels full and I know for certain that we will emerge stronger at the end of this. But at …
Carla’s Candids for Friday, March 20
Fifty women with white hair slip demurely into the carved wooden choir stalls, bow their heads to pray and then sweetly sing “O God break the teeth in their mouths.” I was shocked. Is this phrase really in the Bible? A few minutes later we sing, “Let those who seek …
Carla’s Candids for Friday, March 6
A virus. A tornado. A rapidly shifting political scene. And that was just by Wednesday! How do you and I as people of faith, respond to the volatility? First, the virus. Jesus focused much of his energy on healing the sick. Without antibiotics or IV’s, Jesus had compassion on those …
Forty Days
“I have no problem giving up alcohol for the 40 days of Lent” my friend told me. “But if I try to say no to a glass of wine other times of the year, it seems impossible. I don’t know why that is.” This conversation with my friend got me …
Carla’s Candids for Friday, February 21
‘I wish you were either hot or cold, but you are lukewarm,’ says Jesus to the church in the book of Revelation. Guilty as charged. There are too many days that my faith feels lackluster. Sometimes my prayer life feels like going through the motions but I wish my prayers …
Carla’s Candids for Friday, February 7
She was on the drill team and worked in the library to pay her tuition. He was on a football scholarship. These small town/farm kids met at Navarro Junior College in Corsicana, Texas in 1955, fell in love and got married two years later. From their love, came my sister …
A Tribute to Dean Adams
I was one of 40,000 students at University of Texas so it was a shock during my first semester at graduate school at Yale to receive an invitation to join a small group of students for dinner at the home of a professor. Dean Harry B. Adams was a Disciples of …
A Call to Serve
One of the best things about marriage is that you may inherit a fabulous second family. When I first met my husband’s entire family 30 years ago, I met all the nieces and nephews, including Jered, the oldest. He was a sweet and good kid but not a very motivated …
Dreams of the Next 100
A hundred years ago, some folks decided to build a church. Several lots were considered and finally 61st and Ward was chosen. The cost of the first building was estimated at $50,000. But when the bids came back, it was actually going to cost $60,000. They met to decide what …
Joy to the World
O Little Town of Bethlehem, What Child is This, Angels we Have Heard on High, and Silent Night all vie for first place. What is your favorite carol? None makes my heart soar more than Joy to the World, especially when the trumpets and organ lets loose on Christmas Eve …
Window into God
During December some of us struggle to balance the extra demands on our time with a longing to remain spiritually centered. How do we embrace the busyness, fun, and festivities that honor the arrival of the sacred while also carving out a still small moment to reflect and ponder the …
Showing Up at the Table
“Is this an uncomfortable place for you to be?” a sister asked her brother. It seemed like a strange question to ask given the setting. The wedding guests were joyously dancing on the dance floor. The cousins had just sung a duet, an old spiritual. The children were savoring a …
Carla’s Candids for Friday, Nov. 15.
When the church staff convenes each Tuesday we engage in a discussion about a topic prompted by an article we’ve all read in advance. Because we bring a variety of gifts ministry, the topics are wide ranging: from music to technology, from theology to business management. We muse about how …
In the Presence of the Holy
I wonder if Mary and Joseph told anyone that their 12 year old, Jesus, had disappeared for three days while the family was attending a festival. Or if the father of the prodigal son shared with his rotary club friends that his son was out squandering his inheritance at the …