It is a good thing that God is God and knows more than I, because this word has been my guiding star in more ways than I could imagine.

We cried, we sighed, and each word was a prayer. The conversation ended with a recommendation to session to vote to suspend in-person worship.

What followed was an amazing exercise of God’s Love in Action, appropriate as the upcoming Sunday in Advent is themed “Love”.

My wish for you is that you may embark on a journey of discovery - who are you at your core self, how does that self influence how you express yourself in your environment, and can you use that knowledge to understand your best self that you may become whole and complete?

You are a saint, just because God said so, and I give thanks for you.

Jesus certainly had his moments of frustration, and he certainly shouts at the Pharisees, even as he is teaching and instructing and talking with his disciples. Read Matthew 23 for one of the many examples of Jesus' frustration.

What story can you envision with each of these ideas? How does each enhance the mission of SUPC?

The writer expressed that the 6-8 month mark of a continuing crisis is the time to be the most gentle with ourselves and with those around us, and to remember how we feel in this time, and apply the lesson of gentleness whenever we find ourselves at the wall again.

This is a year of the forgotten. The isolation we have each faced, on top of the isolation that naturally happens in the general course of life unless we work to counteract it, has made each of us The General, looking at the lively young entertainers with their glittering lives, who will breeze into this inn, and whirl out again, leaving The General behind.

What can we hope for? What makes life worth living? What can we look forward to when so much is still being denied us?

This autumn season, I would have you join me in an exercise involving trees. The tree is preparing for something new to grow. Are you prepared to welcome God's renewed Word to your life? Are you ready for Emmanuel?

Action: This week is the Presbyterian Week of Action for Black Lives Matter. Follow this link to see what PCUSA is doing nationally, the history and theology behind the movement, and what you can do to be part of the conversation.

This kindness calls out injustice, it cannot ignore the pain of oppression. This kindness does not stand for bullying or false stories, it corrects narratives that go awry from slanderous sources. This kindness knows that it will not always be accepted, so it stands a shield to protect those who are under attack by institutional systems of authoritarian control. This kindness works for justice for God's people - the poor and oppressed.

What happened when the lives we know, those casual interactions that seem tiny but are actually vital, vanish?

I hope you find inspiration and encouragement for your own justice efforts as we learn about Peace witness around the globe.

This is a video for celebrating communion at home with family

if there is one lesson 2020 has taught us, we are stronger when we look for creative solutions together and treat one another with grace and love

If there is one lesson this half year has taught us, it is that we have a chance to reimagine who we are, a chance to grow from the ashes of this year, to be something new, remembering and honoring the past, and stepping forth boldly in love to an unknown future.

This pandemic experience has reinforced for me how connected we are with each other. We each have the power to lift another person up, to affirm someone's needs, or the power to push another person aside, force someone else to make accommodation for our own existence.

As Christians, we live in covenant relationships. I will follow the covenant agreement that we all may worship in as safe a manner as we are able.

The books pictured above were just a few of the books I read as part of my theological education at CRCDS.