![]() One of the results of the long night of the Covid-19 pandemic is the way it has accelerated trends that have afflicted our society for a long time. In the church, for instance, any reluctance to embrace technology that connected people virtually was swept away by the necessity to connect when we could not gather. The long-term trend of waning involvement in religious life went into high gear as the pandemic offered the perfect motivation to end the habit of weekly worship or other involvement in the congregation.
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![]() As lots of you know, I like to cook. When I find a recipe that works, that produces some tasty delight, many might say that the next time I make the dish, I should follow the cultural advice, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” I think this is bad advice. There is always room for improvement. Next time I make the same dish, I experiment. Maybe it is because I was once an aspiring jazz musician who lived to improvise. Maybe it is a faith thing – we worship a God who says, “I make all things new.” (Revelation 21:5 ![]() As another St. Patrick’s Day comes upon us, most of the attention will be on the celebration of Irish culture with corned beef and cabbage and green beer. The degrading stereotype of the Irish as “drunks” will play out in pubs and parades that all really miss the fact that this day is a feast day for a saint of the Christian faith. Green beer and drunkenness have nothing to do with it. ![]() As we all watch the naked aggression of an unprovoked attack on Ukraine by a Russian leader mad with power, I must admit I feel a little helpless, and a bit more hopeless. Helpless because it seems at first flush, there is not much I can do. Hopeless because it is just one more example of a world circling the drain, a humanity bent on its own destruction. So, what can one do? Pray. ![]() In a week we will begin our annual Lenten pilgrimage. The theme, the thought, the cry that will set the tone for our journey is taken from Psalm 51. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. (Psalms 51:10-12) ![]() Scrolling through the newspaper this morning I found, as I expected, that the top article was about Russia, and its supposed pullback in Ukraine. Western officials remain cautiously optimistic at this point, although they have not seen any signs of the pullback beginning. Putin’s behavior remains suspect. ![]() Each week as we gather prayer requests for our life together, there are a lot of concerns raised. One I am seeing with more frequency is prayer to heal the divisions between people in families, in our communities, our nation and all around the world. We are divided over a public health emergency that one would think would bring us together. The news today is full of developments in the increasing tensions in Europe, Russia, and Ukraine. Will war erupt at any moment? ![]() In the depths of the winter cold, a short trip to Savannah, Georgia, was just what I needed as a jump start for spring and the assurance that it will one day be warm in Ankeny again. We stayed in the historical district of Savannah with its many parks and lavish greenery. The people of Savannah are also experiencing the Covid surge so with a high incidence of Covid and the warm weather, my husband and I opted to have dinner served outside. It was common to have tour groups pass as they heard descriptions of the history of the area and its hauntings. But this Friday night there was another group that first walked past us on the sidewalk where our table was located, but then about a half hour later returned. They were laughing and chatting with each other. It was a group of about seven young women. One had a wedding veil on her head. They were scanning the array of people dining and chose to approach our table. One of the young women announced to us that their friend Anna was getting married in one month and tonight they were seeking wisdom from married couples that could help Anna and her husband as they enter married life. ![]() I have a lizard brain. So do you. The most basic, instinctive, least complicated part of the human brain owes its origins to the connection we have with lizards. The limbic brain, with its flight or fight software, is right at the stem of our brain. The mammalian brain and the frontal lobe are evolutionary advances toward greater complexity of thought and processing. (Yes, a Christian pastor can – and I believe should – see evolution as a marvelous manifestation of divine providence and creation). Before we learned to learn tasks and do algebra, we reacted. Raw emotion rules. ![]() If I had a crystal ball, this is what I’d see… DATELINE – March 2025 – DES MOINES, IOWA. The Iowa Department of Public Health today confirmed that Iowa is in the grip of a strong surge in Coronavirus cases due to the rapid spread of the Beta Omega variant of the disease. This makes Iowa the latest of the midwestern states that are watching as hospitals fill and cases rise by as much as 40 percent. “Based on the data from Belgium where the Beta Omega variant first appeared, we are in for a six-to-eight-week storm of new cases and rising numbers of deaths,” says Dr. Joy Uber Angst, PhD, epidemiologist at the University of Iowa. |
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