First Presbyterian Church of Valparaiso

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. Psalm 62:1 Finally. The daffodils have dared to open their faces to the sun. Finally. The tree outside my office window has burst into bloom. Finally. Green buds are appearing on last year's hydrangea canes. Finally. This year has been a slog. For those like me, not used to long winters, and for those who have spent their whole lives here, the relief is palpable. Spoken. The hope of warmer temperatures is turning into reality. Finally. Waiting is hard. It always has been. The psalmist, many times over, uses the word (or one of its variations) 'wait' in Psalms 25, 27, 31, 33, 37, 38, 39, 40, 59, 62, 69... you get my drift. W

As you know, my birth did not go as well as had been hoped. There were complications and my infant brain was deprived of oxygen while I was being born. But I survived, the infant human brain is remarkably plastic and resilient. The stronger half of my brain took over most of the functions, and I grew into a toddler. You were born when I was 4. Your birth went well and there were no complications. You grew up quickly and I still remember you pushing me around in my wheelchair while I was in the rehabilitation hospital after undergoing surgery on my bad leg. When I was 12, I was in school, but I had missed a lot of time, and the other kids my age were a couple of years ahead of me. When I was

Though you might not be able to tell by looking outside (more blasted snow today!), Easter has once again come and gone. Pastors have again led the faithful through one of the two busiest seasons of the church. Lenten studies have been completed, and whatever was sacrificed during the 40 days has probably been picked up again. In the rhythm of the church year, we are now in a period of new beginnings. Christ has died. Christ has risen! And with his resurrection to new life, we are reminded that we, too, are reborn. An appropriate time, I think, to consider God's calling for our lives. John Indermark is a pastor in the United Church of Christ. His book, Gospeled Lives: Encounter with Jesus, i

As some of you are likely aware, there is a new faith based movie in the theaters titled, I Can Only Imagine, based on the life story of Bart Millard, the lead singer of the Christian band MercyMe. Yes, some of us have joined together in singing this beautiful song many times in church and at other Christian gatherings. As we approach the darkest hours of Christ's death on Good Friday and the shining glory of hearing the words, "He Is Risen" on Easter Sunday, the lyrics of I Can Only Imagine hold a special meaning to some - a meaning that momentarily takes us away from our mortal lives and allows us to look closer at the gift, the mystery and our imagination of eternal salvation. "I can only