Variations on this dish are a staple in our house. If you have a well-seasoned wok, by all means use it. A 12 -inch skillet will also do nicely. I’ve been pleased with wild caught Argentinian Red shrimp, which I buy frozen and thaw out under cold running water. Continue reading
In every congregation I have known, including this one, we pray each week the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples. And in that prayer is the petition that “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Today, I would like to explore with you what that prayer might mean. What does it mean to pray for the kingdom to come? What is the kingdom of God? And, on this Sunday when the church celebrates Christ the King, what does it mean to say that Christ is king? And what kind of King might he be? Continue reading
“Enough” by Cassidy Hutchinson. Simon and Schuster, 2023. 363 pages.
Last Sunday in church, during the “Joys and Concerns” a joy was lifted up for the birth of a baby girl named Cassidy. She will not be the last of the Cassidys named after the poised young women in the white blazer. Cassidy Hutchinson became a household name when she testified to the United States House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. How that brave young woman got to that witness stand is the story of this compelling memoir. Continue reading
Will you pray with me:
Gracious God, through the written word, and through the spoken word, may we behold the Living Word, even your Son our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen
I was just twenty-six years old when I graduated from seminary and became the pastor of the Congregational Churches of West Newfield and Limerick, Maine. If you’ve never heard of them, it is because they are really small towns. West Newfield had about 400 residents and Limerick, the big town, had about twice that. The two congregations shared nothing but me. I had two boards of deacons, two trustees, two women’s groups and two youth groups. The two nearest hospitals were 20 and 45 miles away. I put a lot of miles on my car, and I learned a lot about ministry that I hadn’t learned in seminary. Continue reading
This is a flexible dish. You could skip the snow peas and serve with a different vegetable. You can adjust the heat by the number of chilis you use. Continue reading
Beth Moore and I are both Christians, but we are not from the same tribe. Much like Shiites and Sunnis arguing over the true Islam, Moore and I have our differences. She has lived her life in Southern White American Evangelicalism and I’ve lived mine in the rocky vineyard of New England Congregationalism. Continue reading
I had never had this soup until I started dating my wife nearly 50 years ago when I was introduced to it by her mom, who is a great cook. Her dad is the Greek, but her German mom cooked many Greek dishes. It became a favorite of mine, but I seldom see it on menus. Continue reading
I’ve always loved braising in my Dutch Oven. Tough cuts of meat like brisket and short ribs become meltingly delicious when braised. When my children and grandchildren were with us during the pandemic, they brought their slow cooker and I was hooked. When they left and took it with them, I bought myself one like theirs, a Cuisinart 6 ½ quart that has a sauté function, so you can brown things before you start the slow part. Continue reading
Once again, as the old year passes and the new year beckons, it has been my custom to look back at my most popular posts of the year. I started this blog back in 2009, and to my surprise, 2022 was its best year yet. It had 81,415 views and 62,614 visitors. Continue reading
(I wrote this hymn in 2009. You are free to use it in public worship with attribution. To see other hymn of mine go here. The picture is from a concert I sang in with Berkshire Lyric Chorus on Friday, December 9, 2022 at St Mark’s Roman Catholic Church in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. I’m second from right in the top row. For a YouTube video of the concert go here.)
When I Survey . . . 