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12 Scripture Project Journey

May 7, 2013
07 May 2013

This reflection marks the end of the first leg of our walking along the 12 Scripture path. The journey started with our annual church retreat in the fall of 2012. The Pastoral team thought it would be a wonderful exercise for the Blossom Hill congregation to explore our favorite passages of scripture, individually and as a faith community. Therefore, at retreat, the adult session was designed around introducing and beginning the 12 Scripture project journey. Read more →

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Provoke to Love

October 9, 2012
09 Oct 2012

In the book, Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, Richard Schnase lists Radical Hospitality as the first practice. He describes radical hospitality as “the active desire to invite, welcome, receive, and care for those who are strangers so that they find a spiritual home and discover for themselves the unending richness of life in Christ.” (P.11) Read more →

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The Mudderites

July 2, 2012
02 Jul 2012
Romans 5:3 And not only that we boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance builds character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us.

I used these verses from Romans as one of the scriptures at my ordination service in January. Much of what these verses say has rang true in my own life and also in my work as a therapist and pastor. We grow in times of suffering and trial. We may not like it and certainly this does not mean we are to seek it out, but when hard times hit, if we have some trusted others around us, it can be and will be growth producing Read more →

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Pastor’s Ponderings

April 9, 2012
09 Apr 2012

It is 2am on Monday April 2, and I’m “on duty” during the last night of the Women’s Winter Shelter program at the YWCA in Lancaster. Daryl and Abeba are sleeping nearby. This is the last night of Blossom Hill’s commitment AND the very last night of the shelter for this year.

On the gym floor in the room next to where I’m sitting there are about 20 women sleeping on mat s on the floor. Earlier in the week, there were close to 30. As they came in this evening, several lamented that this was the last night of the temporary winter shelter. It seems that a community has formed among some of them. Read more →

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