I once went to a funeral for a woman who worked at our church. Rosemarie Kelley passed away quite suddenly.  Her death took us all by surprise.   She was one of those people you don’t always think about, just one of those people who is always there. And you don’t really notice just how important they are until they are gone. Rosemarie was one of those people who did just about everything around the church. When something needed doing, it was usually Rosemarie that did it. The church was absolutely packed. It was standing room only, the kind of crowd you generally only see at Christmas and...

Well, Saturday came and went and the faithful are still here.  The Apocalypse did not come to pass.  And all around the country, people are having a good bit of fun at the expense of those who chose to believe the message that Family Radio spent millions of dollars proclaiming.  A certain amount of laughter is understandable.  Certainly, the idea that we can know when the end of time is coming is not a gospel idea.  Jesus said that he would return like a “thief in the night.”  He also said no one knew the time of his return but the Father. Still, the fact that a great many people believed...

I love a good story, don’t you? I guess everybody does. That’s why I am captivated by the gospels. The story of Jesus is such a good story. It is slightly different in each of the gospels, and each one has its own special charm. People so often read those stories and never think of them as such, as a story. Whether or not you believe what is written there or not, it is still a great story. I seldom meet people who look at what is written in the gospels as a story. People are usually too busy taking everything written there as sacred text and as such, seem afraid to enjoy it, as if enjoying...

Jesus was walking around Heaven one day and came out by the gates where St. Peter was hard at work sorting out those who would enter Heaven from those who wouldn’t. Jesus said, “Pete, you’re at the gate a lot. When do you take a break?” Peter said, “Never. This is my job. All the time.” Jesus, feeling compassionate for his friend said, “Hey, I’ll take over for a while, why don’t you grab a cup of coffee.” Peter gladly said yes and went on his way. Jesus opened the Book of Life and looked up to the next person in line. “Name?” he said. “Mary O’Donnell,” the old woman...

There is a cute joke about a guy, let’s call him George for no particular reason, who is a real born again type Christian. The news on the television announces that the dam is about to break and the whole valley is about to be flooded. All his neighbors are getting ready to evacuate, but old George just sits on his porch in his rocking chair and does nothing. “You better get packed and get going”, George, his neighbors all say. But George just sits there. “Nope, the Lord is going to come and save me, I know. I prayed about it.” The neighbors all do their best to convince him but it is...

You have already heard that the fifth of May, cinco de mayo, is not as big a holiday in México as it is here in the United States. You have also heard that it is NOT, contrary to popular opinion, Méxican Independence Day, which is actually September 16th, called el 16 de septiembre strangely enough. So what is this holiday all about? There is more to it than Corona and Cuervo (not the best tequila, I might add), that’s for sure. And while it is not so celebrated in Mexico as it is here, it truly IS an important day to remember, but not for the reasons most people think. And all...