Walking the pictures A home gallery tour by Ken Rummer “Sweet Georgia Brown.” That was the tune I hummed as I carried my crib-aged children around the house in the middle of the night. It would be a night when we had tried diaper and milk and pacifier and rocking chair, and still there… Read more »
February 1, 2019
Sightings
Walking the pictures A home gallery tour by Ken Rummer “Sweet Georgia Brown.” That was the tune I hummed as I carried my crib-aged children around the house in the middle of the night. It would be a night when we had tried diaper and milk and pacifier and rocking chair, and still there… Read more »
Does our leadership heal . . . or inflict pain? by N. Graham Standish I recently talked with a frustrated and disappointed pastor who was in tremendous pain over her struggling church. As I listened to her story, I suddenly had an insight: Perhaps everyone who comes to church is in pain. Perhaps everyone who… 
Red-tailed hawk A close encounter by Ken Rummer A large flapping draws my attention through the window. A red-tailed hawk has just touched down on the cedar railing of the deck and is now scanning the yard and the trail beyond. Brown… 
Building on a Blessed Community Recognizing the Church’s True Center by Graham Standish Years ago I read a quote by the Quaker mystic, Thomas Kelly, that changed my ministry: “Yet ever within that Society, and ever within the Christian church, has existed the Holy Fellowship, the Blessed Community, an ekklesiola in ekklesia, a little church… 
Light A tour detour by Ken Rummer “What do you want to see while you’re in Geneva?” The host of our Swiss tour for clergy and laity was wondering. I hesitated. After all, my top choice wasn’t one of the usual Reformation tour highlights. “I’d like to see the New Testament manuscripts.” I had read… 
What Do I Know Of Joy Four Reflections by Ken Rummer What do I know of joy? I know the feeling of walking out of the doctor’s office, fearing the worst but finding out it’s not that but something much less scary, something treatable, not life-threatening, and the doctor says, “Go. Live.” and the… 
The Trail An Invitation by Ken Rummer There’s a trail I’d like to show you, the one that passes behind our place. It was part of the appeal of the property for me. For some reason, “By the High Trestle Trail” seemed like an address of some distinction. Now I get to live here…. 
Silence as praise The sound of no hands clapping by Ken Rummer When the music ended, nobody clapped. I was the guest violin soloist for a performance with the high school concert band in the next town. It was their winter concert, to a full house. We were playing music by John Williams,… 
Going backwards How church entryways have changed by Richard Hong In March 2016, our historic sanctuary was destroyed in a three-alarm fire. After five months of worshiping in “portable” locations, we returned to our gym, which we outfitted for use as a worship space until our sanctuary can be rebuilt. Last month we took…