First Presbyterian Church of Valparaiso

“School’s Out for Summer…” As the students and teachers in our greater community celebrate the recent completion of another school year, I can’t help but think about the lyrics to the famous Alice Cooper rock song my contemporaries and I shouted in our youth. While the song’s energy is boosted by the spirit of the moment rather than the truth of its words, one lyric in “School’s Out” always baffled me. It’s the lyric where Cooper sings, “School’s Out Forever.” Again, I’m sure

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. -Hebrews 12:1 There we were, a heaving mass approximately 40,000 strong, not including those who had come to witness the spectacle. Our presence evidenced by the shimmering radiance of our body heat and the misty cloud that lingered from the condensation of our collective br

I think it is no big secret that my chosen profession is the law. I often get asked what type of attorney I am, and I often quip, “a good one!” I do not like to talk about what I do, because I try very hard to make sure that my profession does not become my identity. I have witnessed too many individuals get so wrapped up in my profession that they cannot separate themselves from the job. That is another possible blog idea. I am a trial/litigation attorney. I represent and de

“Sometimes," I ventured, "it doesn't occur to boys that their mother was ever young and pretty. . . I couldn't stand it if you boys were inconsiderate, or thought of her as if she were just somebody who looked after you. You see I was very much in love with your mother once, and I know there's nobody like her...” ― Jim Burden speaking to Antonia’s sons in the novel My Ántonia by Willa Cather Over the last couple of years, I’ve become something of a devotee of Willa Cather’s w

One day last week, I was on the phone waiting to be connected, and the audio space was being filled with a combination of jazzy music with lots of percussion, alternating with announcements of possibilities for other appointments I might make. It was all very annoying. Having nothing else to do while I waited, I found myself wondering why there seemingly has to be so much noise in my world. Ads, announcements, opinions, urgent pronouncements, all come at increasing decibels,