Methodist confirmation materials explain that people do things that are hurtful to themselves, to others, and to creation itself because of an underlying spiritual condition. This is because the actions we call sins [plural] are not the real problem. Sin [singular] is the spiritual disease that is the problem, and sins [plural] are just the… Read More »

When our son Jonathan was in high school, he invited a friend to come to our house to watch a movie. His friend declined the invitation. Jonathan was confused by his answer, and asked why he didn’t want to come to our house. “Your dad wouldn’t want me there,” the friend replied. Jonathan was even… Read More »

Throughout the ages, children have pretended their toys were alive. In 1995, Pixar Studios used that childhood fantasy as the theme for a movie. It was titled Toy Story, and told the tale of a group of living toys. But the toys weren’t just alive. They possessed special powers that their engineering should not have… Read More »

I recently had mulch delivered to the parsonage. Jonathan and I then began to rake it into the flower beds that surround the house. I hated every minute of it. Not because it was work. But because I don’t like “gardening.” For me, gardening is a chore, a task, another job to do. When it… Read More »