Eastman First United Methodist Church

One of my first conscious memories is a song, Stand By Me, by Ben E. King. I’m not sure why that particular song, I’m not sure where I picked it…

In seminary, I took a brilliant class on the Old Testament. The professor was comparing and contrasting the enlightenment idea of a nation-state with ancient Israel’s self-conception. It was highly…

I discovered the West Wing later in life, several years after it had ceased airing new episodes. I binged it while in graduate school at James Madison University. While studying…

This is the week the quarantine ate our family.  I can’t really explain why. For six weeks, we did okay. Dana and I both had hard moments of stress, concerned…

Link to take survey stating your family's plan to practice sabbath: Click here A pillar of his community.  That’s how a young man described himself. In the 1960s in Italy,…

Last week, I sent out a survey. I’m grateful to all of you who responded! You’re helping with my doctoral project but also helping me understand how we’re all faring…

Today is one of those wonderful family days. Even with our quarantined state, I’m sure we’re all finding ways to be with family today. Maybe FaceTime, maybe Zoom, maybe phone…

Recently, a headline appeared in my newsfeed: “How Beauty is Making Scientists Rethink Evolution.” The tag line explained, “The extravagant splendor of the animal kingdom can’t be explained by natural…