A few nights ago I was leaving the church rather late – about 8:30pm or so. It had been a long day, I was tired, and I was ready to get home and stare blankly at the television and think of nothing for a few minutes before heading to bed and starting all over again...

…and in your hair, your beard and your clothes. During this time of year, Amy and I like to take “retreats” up into the mountains and camp. There is nothing particularly rugged about it – just a few days enjoying the outdoors and God’s handiwork. Some folks have beach...

I love my backyard, I really do. I often say that two of my favorite rooms of the house is the back porch and the firepit at the edge of the woods. From both vantage points I can watch the world go by spinning. Just this morning while it was still dark an owl was...

Jake Malone has pretty much travelled all over the world as well as throughout this great country of ours. Along with his beloved travelling companion Delores, he has led church members, family and friends to exotic places like searching for the Loch Ness Monster, as...

Those words usually come in the reverse order – invocations and benedictions. An invocation is a prayer offered at the beginning of something where we are asking that our hearts may be full and open to receive the presence of God in this particular gathering. In...

This past weekend we took in a couple of days camping in the Great Smoky Mountains. Ordinarily I am not much for camping in the middle of the summer, but temperatures were mild, the trees were in full leaf, elk were grazing and the rivers and creeks were still swollen...

As in years past, deer have found my roses, peppers, tomatoes and black-eyed susans. They are not that fond of my herbs, but really enjoy the Gerber daisies, apparently as a garnish to the potted geraniums nearby. Last weekend I saw a doe – fat and slick – languidly...

Cross of Glory This cross is fittingly used for Easter. It is a simple Latin Cross with a rising sun placed behind it. Like most every cross examined, this one too has many variations. In many traditions, as the sun rises, Gloria, an ancient Latin doxology, is sung...

The Arrow Cross This is also called a Cross Barby or Barbee in heraldry. In Christian use, the ends of this cross resemble the barbs of fish hooks, or fish spears. This alludes to the Ichthys symbol of Christ, and is suggestive of the "fishers of people" theme in the...

Cross of St. James The Cross of St. James is adapted from the Cross Fitchy by adding a cross fleury (the arms end in fleurs-de-lys) or a cross moline (the ends of the arms are forked and rounded). In heraldry, it is also called the Santiago Cross or the cruz espada....