The story of these days is a truly disturbing one.

This week we follow the story of a man arrested under a shroud of secrecy, for no clear crime.

“What accusation do you have against this man?” it is asked. The accusers don’t care to provide a steady answer.

It’s for the greater good, the authorities say to themselves. He is dangerous, he threatens our order of life, we must deal with him swiftly, they think.

Instead of releasing those whose crime is uncertain, they petition to release the insurrectionist.

As Diana Butler Bass summarizes, this week we follow the story of a government who “seizes an innocent man, tortures and jails him on trumped-up charges that change during a manipulated ‘legal’ process. The prisoner is left at the mercy of dehumanizing politicians and jailers to do what they please.”

It is Maundy Thursday. It is Thursday, April 17 in America.

In just days, we’ll live it like it’s the first time: palm branches will wave in the air and lay on the ground, the table of God’s grace will be set, the story of the cross will be read again, and we’ll wait what bated breath for what resurrection Easter Sunday will bring. Somewhere in the mix, a few thousand easter eggs will be scattered and (hopefully) found as well!

As our Lenten journey comes to an end, we enter into Holy Week.

We begin with a Palm Sunday celebration on April 13 (8:30am in the Chapel; 10:30am in the Sanctuary), followed by a Luau and Community Egg Hunt!

We’ll continue into Maundy Thursday Communion and Tenebrae at 7pm in the Sanctuary, then conclude with a celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter Sunday at 9am and 11am in the Sanctuary.

The ability to change one’s mind is quite possibly the most underrated personal trait.

Detractors call it waffling, inconsistency, lack of confidence, weakness of character - or in extreme circumstances, even betrayal. Proponents know it as cognitive flexibility. The Catholic Church calls it a “clarification.” I call it the greatest leadership skill you can have.

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:36-37)

Disaster relief is something that follows you. Whenever a healthcare provider asks me how long it has been since my last tetanus shot, I do the mental math on how long it has been since Hurricane Harvey. The heavy-duty overalls hanging in my closet (specifically used for post-ice storm, post-tornado, post-hurricane, post-fire, post-flood work) remind me of the many times when we dropped everything and started coordinating recovery plans because there were people and communities who needed help clearing debris, ripping out flood-contaminated dry wall and carpet, or bleaching the already molding places of their home or church.

Winding through the Old City of Jerusalem, the Via Dolorosa represents the path to the cross. In Jerusalem, this route is marked by 14 Stations of the Cross, positioned from the Antonia Fortress to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In church halls, sanctuaries, along corridors, and in gardens around the world, different versions of these stations have been created for centuries.

As I assume it is for most partners in the same industry, Paul and I have some very niche home conversations.

As I assume it is for most partners in the same industry, Paul and I have some very niche home conversations.

First Church Library is now accepting donations for its fund-raising used book sale on May 4, 2025.

2025 has already been a full year in the life of our community – even if you don’t count politics!

Paul and I are back from a whirlwind journey to my mother’s motherland: the Philippines. My mom didn’t have the luxury of leisure, so we explored the places she didn’t get to go:

This southern gal gets excited when snow of any kind falls from the sky – we didn’t have much snow where I grew up and a snow day was almost like a once-in-a-lifetime event (okay, three times a year).

In case you missed it this week, the Western Jurisdiction College of Bishops released this statement calling for love, unity, and support for one another during this time in our history. 

Dear Friends,

Once a month in the 10:30 service and weekly in the 8:30 service we celebrate The Great Thanksgiving together. These times are the most holy times in worship for me.

This is a Word not only with the pastor, but also with your Staff Parish Relations Committee.

Thanks to your generosity at Tabitha Circle’s Fall and Holiday sales, we will be able to continue our ministry of handwork from the heart.

The United Methodist Church operates on a quadrennium schedule. This means that all the laws, rules, policies, and practices of the United Methodist Church globally are updated every four years.

A big THANK YOU to those who contributed to my upcoming Volunteer in Mission trip to Kenya!  I leave January 16 – and I’m awed and grateful for the support I’ve received from my friends at FUMC and elsewhere! 

Sunday’s scripture comes from Isaiah 43:
Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when through the rivers, they won’t sweep over you.

Everyone in our church community is invited to participate in a shared reading and discussion of “When We Walk By: Forgotten Humanity, Broken Systems, and the Role We Can Each Play in Ending Homelessness in America” by Kevin Adler and Donald Burnes.