First Presbyterian Church of Valparaiso

Trish Lawson and I always have fun choosing an Advent study for the Faithful Friends Bible study. We pour through the PCUSA catalogue, check on-line, and discuss a variety of topics. This has been a most enjoyable part of serving as Moderator of Faith Formation for the past 6 years. Trish has a wealth of knowledge, great ideas and vision, and her faith is steadfast.    During Advent 2025, we will be using the book, Calling All Angels; an Advent Study of Fearlessness and Stren

What’s almost over, you may ask? Well, quite a few things actually. Summer for sure, but Fall was well underway until rudely interrupted by the first somewhat big snowfall on Sunday & Monday, so maybe Fall is over too? If true, then that means Winter is underway…ugh! It isn’t even Thanksgiving yet, but we know that 2025 is almost over.   Readers of my blog are now used to my references to the weather and the seasons, situations and occurrences over which we have little to zer

I was talking to a friend the other day about Thanksgiving. She was apprehensive because her family often ends up arguing at the dinner table and she was already stressed about it. I have always loved Thanksgiving…autumn is my favorite season. When I was a child, we celebrated at my grandmother’s house. I remember the heavenly smells of sage and cinnamon, a huge turkey, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes with buckets of gravy, and of course, pumpkin pie. Grandma always