Kalen Dion wrote — Some people will meet you at rock bottom with a lecture. Other people show up with a ladder. — Kalen Dion ––– “Let us not love with words or speech,” reads 1st John 3:18, “but with actions and in truth.” Which kind of people are we: lecture or ladder?

EXCERPT Think about what it would have felt like to be a fourteen-year-old in Germany in the 1930s as the Nazi party was spewing hate and lies and Adolf Hitler was rising in popularity and power. Rev. John Zehring wrote this — German Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in 1938, welcomed confirmands – usually fourteen-year-olds –…

From a great list by Tammy Strobel of ten things to do to deal with stress in simple, healthy ways comes this — Practice gratitude   In my early twenties, I tended to compare my life to my peers. I thought that prettier jewelry, a luxury car, or a bigger house would make me happier. However,…

Pastor Appreciation Month has become another way some churches approach October. On this final day of this month, I want to make two things very clear: — an extremely loud boisterous raucous and dangerously decibelous Thank YOU to the churches to whom I’ve been appointed in my *cough, cough* several years in United Methodist ministry.…

Be alert, be present, says God. I’m about to do something brand-new, God continues in Isaiah 43:19.It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it? God asks you and me in the Message version of our Bibles. There it is! I’m making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands, God says, pointing ahead. Where are…

“Sometimes the next chapter begins the moment you stop reading the last one.” That’s a line from a post by a Social Emotional Learning teacher who is online as Mrs. Arensberg. (If you’ve noticed that some of my Finally Friday videos sometimes feature children’s literature, she’s occasionally my source for good books for kids.) I…

Seen this? —- “Best of all, attending a church service carries no admission fee. For families watching the budget, that’s a pretty sweet detail to tuck into your weekend plans.” Details: Illinois Is Home To A Multi-Campus Church With Modern Worship, And It Even Hosts TEDx Talks

*yes, my title here is a reference to a Red Hot Chili Peppers song* Kindness is free. Give it away like you’ve got a pocket full of it,

The first time I wrote this sentence, it was just a question in light of what I had here from Fran several days ago about reading and thinking. Then I read my question and realized it has layers. Ready?And so…to whom are you listening lately?

What besides novels are you reading? [NOTE: “I’m reading your blog” is still not an answer.]