First Presbyterian Church of Valparaiso

Some readers may be familiar with Richard Rohr, a Roman Catholic priest who is writer and speaker on spirituality. At the recent CONSPIRE conference our church and many others had access to (and still have access to recordings of) he made the point that “most of human history has been spent determining and deciding who doesn’t belong.” He stated that “History confirms that every civilization spends time hating others, mostly unconsciously, but they do.” Wow! Thinking about i

As we prepare to celebrate Halloween at First Presbyterian Valpo’s annual Trunk or Treat, I feel a sense of excitement in the air. After all, this is the one time we can see Batman, Spiderman, Ninja Turtles, Ariel, Princesses, Captain America, and Wonder Woman in the same parking lot. Oh, and there is a lot of candy to satisfy our craving for sugar (in moderation, of course). What an outstanding event the church hosts for the public each year! While the focus is on making the

Last week, I listened to a new album. This album/CD is titled “Love for Sale” a tribute to the Cole Porter songbook. The artists of the album were Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett. This album is not their first collaboration that was “Cheek to Cheek.” These two are an unlikely pairing on its face, but when you first listen you can appreciate the musicianship of these two vocalists. In this most recent album, the Cole Porter songbook never sounded better. The most amazing part of th

So it’s that time of year again, that time when there seems to be pumpkins stacked up all over the place, in the grocery store, at the farm stands, the farmers markets, in piles next to random mailboxes along the road, you can’t seem to get away from them! At the risk of exposing my inner curmudgeon, I think that pumpkins are overrated! There, I’ve said it! I’ve taken a position on the proliferation of pumpkins. Don’t get me wrong, I love pumpkin pie, and my wife’s version of