For many years, my day often ended by watching Johnny Carson do his monologue. Just before Mr. Carson came on stage, the show’s host would receive the now famous introduction – HERRRRES JOHNNY! To all of you I say, “HERRRES SUMMER!” What a wonderful word: summer. It brings back great...
How’s that for a scary title to this article? Something “new” usually means change, and change is usually difficult for people to embrace. When alligators come across something new, something they don’t know, they will do one of three things: run from it, attack it, or eat it. That kind...
April showers bring May flowers. What do May flowers bring? – PILGRIMS !!! I know it’s an old joke but when I heard it the other day I just had to smile. At this time of year it seems like I see a lot more smiling going on. Maybe I...
Wow! It seems like just a minute ago when we were wishing one another, ”Merry Christmas and Happy New Year”; now Holy Week and Easter are here. For some of us the “resolutions” we made for New Years are yet to be started and some things that we hoped to...
It was the morning of July 4th, 1952 when Florence Chadwick slipped into the icy waters by Catalina Island and began her attempt to be the first woman to swim to the California coast. From time to time sharks moved toward her but were driven off by rifle shots. Then...
There’s a saying: Pastors never retire, they just get put out to ‘pastor.’ I suppose, in a way, I am retiring from serving as the called pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church. I am being sent out to a new pasture, The GreenFields, to pastor! For me it is both an...
There’s a story about some older men who gathered to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their college graduation. Naturally, all of them had changed in appearance over the years – they were grayer, heavier, balder, more wrinkled and so on. But instead of providing name tags, as some reunions do,...
You know the holiday song well! “It’s the most wonderful time of the year… with holiday greetings and hearts all a glowing; kids jingle belling, friends come a calling and much mistletoeing … it’s the ha—happiest season of all! That was until the pandemic of COVID-19 and the shroud of...
Do you remember the Game of Scruples? It came out 36 years ago, so many of you may never have heard of it. Basically, the game challenged the players to respond to a variety of challenging dilemmas which would reveal one’s scruples, ethics and morality. Real life, which is no...
Mention the word “change,” and you get all kinds of responses from dread to fear and questions: “Why?” This month we celebrate one of the greatest changes in church history as well as the history of the world – The Protestant Reformation! As Lutherans we praise and thank God for...