Eastman First United Methodist Church

Before the sermon, we remembered our baptism. I invite you, if you did not participate in the service, to at least read through this service, for it will shed light…

Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright, round yon virgin mother and child, holy infant so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace. …

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices.  Christina Rossetti sat at her home. This English poet of moderate fame had published many poems before in her life, mostly focused…

Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.  I bet you can hear the song in your head. Let there be peace on earth and let…

Yet, in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light. Phillips Brooks sat on horseback atop a hillside. This episcopal priest from New England had come to visit the Holy Land.…

Our first married Thanksgiving, we decided to host both of our parents. At the time, we lived in Virginia in a tiny, three hundred square foot apartment. I was managing…

There were once two brothers who couldn’t have been more different. One was always cheerful, the other always grumpy. Their parents worried about them both, thinking that they needed to…

Who are you?  Seems like a simple enough question. Until you get asked it. Consider the last time you interviewed. Almost certainly, the opening question was, “tell us a little…

The election is in two days.  Having heard that, what was your primary emotional reaction? Based on conversations I frequently had his week, my guess is dread, exhaustion, discouragement, fatigue,…

“There is a story about three farmers whose fields were adjoined. One was Jewish, one Muslim, and one Christian. Each observed the Sabbath on a different day of the week.…

Wine makes a lot of byproducts.  There’s a cycle of destruction and transformation to the wine-making process. The yeast produces a chemical reaction that destroys molecules. That process of destruction…

When I was a child, I had a big wheel.  You remember big wheels? Those were the best. They were like a low-rider tricycle, made of plastic. I went everywhere…

In Central Asia, a war is raging.  Across the part of China formerly known as Tibet, China is slowly destroying mosques and other Islamic holy sites as it imprisons Muslim…

Keep watch.  Right now, I’m keeping watch on the rear, passenger-side, tire of the convertible. A few weeks ago, I came out and found it flat. I took it to…

Winter is coming. Temperatures are falling, leaves are just starting to change colors; we can all feel instinctually the changing of the seasons. One day, not so far from now,…