The Church Mouse

  “Do justly, Love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8) “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32) “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1Corinthians 13: 4-7) Over the Christmas holidays, as happens with … Read more

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a … Read more

Integrity:  a fundamental virtue characterized by adhering to ethical and moral principles consistently.  (The Helpful Professor) Integrity is doing what you said you were going to do.  (Stephen Covey, the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People) When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said,, “What is this dream you had?  Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.” (Genesis 37: 10,11) I have an acquaintance that stands me … Read more

“Hope is a star that shines in the night” (VU 7, Written by Brian Wren, music by Joan Collier Fogg) “Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.””(Genesis 15:5) “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, [a]wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East … Read more

In the weeds : idiomatic.  Immersed or entangled in details or complexities. (Wiktionary the Free Dictionary) Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11) And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,  (Hebrews 10: 24) “I want you, right now, to take a deep breath and let it out slowly.  Do again and again until you can release this to God” (My cousin, Emily Crighton) This morning I got a text from one of my colleagues telling me that she was having a tough … Read more

25“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. 6But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. 8The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of … Read more

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8: 31, 32) Last weekend I attended a “Live at the Met” event at our local theatre.  This is a livestreamed production put on by the Metropolitan Opera, and the opera I saw was “Dead Man Walking”.  I love these productions.  For a while I thought about titling our streamed worship on Sunday morning a “Live at Bethel Event”.  But, considering there were only 5 of … Read more

“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” — Frederick Buechner   Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.  – Psalm 37:4   This morning when I was on social media catching up on what news I could find, I was given (sent?  What is it called when the internet gremlins just make a decision on what you should read?) a link to the Public Service Jobs website to apply for a job in “Security” for CSIS.    A SPY!!! How … Read more

11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus[a] was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten men with a skin disease approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’s[b] feet and thanked him. And he … Read more