First Presbyterian Church of Valparaiso

Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8 When I was growing up, February was always my favorite month. I can feel some of you raising your eyebrows in disbelief, after all, February is cold, dark, and not thought of as particularly festive. But for me, it was the month of my birthday, and my mother’s. In school, we made stovepipe hats, and cut out paper cherries and hatchets to celebrate the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. W

Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. -1 Cor. 12:27 I like to do puzzles. In fact, I’m the type that can’t walk past an unfinished puzzle without trying to fit at least a piece or two. Imagine 1,500 pieces! Now, I know it’s not the world’s largest puzzle, but since those pieces were dumped on the dining table during Owen’s winter break it has provided plenty of distraction. Piece by piece the image is taking shape, and as it comes into focus, I am bec

“Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” Mark 10: 15. The Message I recently came across the new Brandi Carlile album, In These Silent Days. (I know, I have been on a music kick lately.) Brandi Carlile has a very soulful voice and this album is a respite during our daily struggles in these COVID times. This album has been nominated for some Grammy awards. Many of her songs, contained on this album, speak to me and console me. On thi

Recently, I ran across an online blog post entitled “Collect Moments, Not Things. You’ll Have No Regrets When You Get Old.” The blog was posted on a site called lifehack.org which professes to be a site that is dedicated to talking about any “advice, resource, tip or trick that will help you get things done more efficiently and effectively.” I’m not sure that the advice on collecting “moments” has anything to do with efficiency, but it does strike a chord with me. Maybe I li