By Paul Koch - Today is Father’s Day. To be sure, it is not as significant as Mother’s Day, at least in its cultural impact. Father’s Day wasn’t established as a permanent holiday until it was signed into law by president Nixon in 1972, 58 years after the establishment of Mother’s Day. Father’s Day has … Continue reading Broken Fathers Faithful Son
By Paul Koch - Of all the questions one can ask, and there are a lot of important questions that you can and do ask, the most Lutheran of them must be the question, “What does this mean?” If you grew up in a Lutheran church, no doubt you studied Luther’s Small Catechism, went to … Continue reading What Does This Mean?
By Paul Koch - The question, “What have you done?” is a bit unsettling, at least for most of us. If it was said by my mother when I was being picked up from the principal’s office during grade school, it signaled the moment of overwhelming shame and guilt. It was the time that I … Continue reading What Have You Done?
By Paul Koch - It may sound a bit sappy or over simplistic, but most people still have great hope for peace in their lives. World peace would be preferred, of course, but most people will simply settle for peace in their own lives, in their immediate surroundings. Peace in their family, peace at work, … Continue reading Peace
By Paul Koch - I love gardening. I had never thought I would love it, even 15 years ago, but I do. I’m not saying that I’m all that good at it either. Though, let’s be honest, it’s somewhat difficult to be a bad gardener when you live in Ventura, California. But I do love … Continue reading The Promise of Something New
By Joel A. Hess - Everybody loves “forgiveness!” Who would disagree with the importance and blessing of forgiveness? Sure, Christianity emphasizes it probably more than any other religion or philosophy, but it would be foolish to conclude it enjoys a monopoly on mercy. As I was preparing for last week’s sermon, I thought I would … Continue reading Forgiving is for Giving
By Cindy Koch - Today was the day she decided to live exposed. Years of passive acceptances. Years of dealing with whatever they piled on her. Years of smiles and nods slowly suffocating the fighting spirit left inside. But from now on it would be different. Summoning all her courage to make a stand. Breaking … Continue reading Ba Ba Black Sheep
