Our new bishop, Bishop Sue (see picture below), began her work at the start of the year. I haven’t had the opportunity to meet her yet, but I am excited for her ministry. Our Virginia Conference has created a couple of videos featuring Bishop Sue so that we can learn more about her. I invite

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I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas! I pray that as Christmas draws near, we are able to slow down and savor this time of year. I pray we can savor the smells, tastes, sounds, and sights. May we see God in the beautiful details around us. May we know how God’s peace, hope,

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What is Advent? Advent is a word that means “coming” or “arrival.” The advent season in the church is the time when we wait for Christ’s coming. We remember and celebrate how Jesus first arrived as a baby, and we anticipate his return when he arrives and establishes God’s kingdom of earth. Advent also is

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We recently had a fall festival for kids, and one of the fun craft projects was a foam fall wreath. On the wreath were the words “God never leaves [leaf] us.” I thought that was cute and clever and true. God never does leave us. But we can choose to leave God. Or perhaps we

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I have been using the app “Everyday Sanctuary” as part of my daily devotions. Yesterday’s contemplation invited us to mediate on 1 John 3:1 – “See how great a love God has for you that you are known, a child of God.” What does it mean for us to be loved? Do we know we

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Wow this summer has flown by! I keep meaning to write another blog post, but the days keep slipping away from me. So, I finally made myself sit down to write. I just want to share a few things that I’ve discovered/learned this summer. First up was the Virginia Annual Conference. Here is the link

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We are in the aftermath of yet another horrific mass shooting in Uvalde. I’m sure we all have a lot of responses and emotions to the latest news. And as Christians, one of our automatic responses is to pray. This is a good thing. Prayer is always a good thing. In prayer, we draw close

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I am not much of a gardener, but I want to try to get better. So, I am attempting to plant and grow a small vegetable garden this year, as well as planting different perennials in our yard. I was advised to wait until Mother’s Day to do most of my planting in order to

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Last post I talked some about the wonderful hymnody that we have that helps us make sense of Holy Week – of Christ’s betrayal, arrest, torture, and crucifixion. This week, I want to highlight the words of a great Easter hymn. Now, understand that there are a lot of great Easter hymns. I love singing

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I love the hymns that we get to sing in church. We are so fortunate to have so many wonderful hymns and songs that describe God and our lives of discipleship. The music for Holy Week is no exception. Holy Week tells us of the final days of Jesus’ life, leading up to his crucifixion,

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