In her 2012 book You Are What You Wear: What Your Clothes Reveal About You, Dr. Jennifer Baumgartner helps readers identify the psychology behind their clothing choices, so they can not only develop a personal style that suits their identity but also make positive changes in all areas of life.

For those of us who are fans of the old comic strip Peanuts, as soon as fall comes around we start having images of Lucy holding a football and coaxing Charlie Brown to run up and kick it. Every year the same thing happens: she pulls it away and Charlie Brown falls flat on his back. Every year he thinks maybe Lucy actually means it, that she'll hold the football for him, and every year he's disappointed.

Have you ever been in a situation where someone tried to make you look really bad? It's not always easy to come up with a quick comeback that makes that person look bad instead, but we sure wish we could. We might even keep awake replaying the conversation and wishing we could have said this or that.

This weekend's Gospel reading includes Jesus' story about a man who hires people throughout the day to work in his vineyard and at the end pays everyone the same wage. When those who have been working all day realize they are getting the same as the people who only worked for about an hour, they are not happy.

You've probably heard the phrase "forgive and forget" so many times that you assume it's a Bible verse. In fact, it is not.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

When I was young, I always thought that it was rather ironic to have a holiday from work to celebrate work. But as I got older, I realized how a balance of work and rest go together.

Last weekend's message focused on the first part of Romans 12 and talked about what is Church. The Church is God’s people who through the power of the Holy Spirit live with Christ, respond to His love, and are blessed to be a blessing. So what exactly does that look like (or not look like)?

"If you don't use it, you'll lose it." If you once studied another language and haven't used it for years, or used to know how to solve complicated math equations but have not had to for years, you know it is true.

This weekend's Gospel account is about someone else who was waiting on the Lord --the Canaanite woman whose daughter was possessed by a demon and who came to Jesus on her behalf, only to have Jesus give her the silent treatment. When Jesus did speak, He seemed to give her no hope. But the woman did not give up. She came to Jesus for help and does not give up. Prayerful persistence rather than giving up will not be disappointed.

This week's Gospel account records an event that happened right after Jesus miraculously provided enough food for over 5,000 people. Jesus sent the disciples away in a boat while He went by Himself to pray. The disciples' boat got caught in the wind, and in the midst of their struggle Jesus came to them walking on the water.

Have you ever had to plan for a large family gathering? One of the challenges is preparing a menu that will satisfy everyone. And with preparing the menu comes the challenge of making sure there will be enough food. No one wants to run out.

He was surrounded by loving family members. That's a phrase that is often used in obituaries. I would like to add to that. He was also surrounded by Jesus who, through His Spirit, was truly there as that Good Shepherd leading him through the valley of the shadow of death to the House of the Lord and the place prepared for him.

This weekend's Gospel reading from Matthew 13 is a parable that Jesus told about how an enemy came at night and tried to mess up a farmer's field by planting weeds in the midst of the good wheat. What he planted was something called darnel which looks like wheat as it is growing and, as it matures, distinguishes itself from the good wheat. The owner of the field instructs the laborers not to take out the weeds until the final harvest, lest some of the good wheat is also uprooted.

At our July 6 Board of Directors meeting, our treasurermentioned something about online giving that I'm guilty of. The issue? I have not regularly thought about it like I would when Ellen and I wrote out a weekly check and put it in the offering envelope. I've just let it go on as I originally set it up.

Imagine if I did that with other things in life... just start it and let it go.

According to Google AI, the "American experiment" is the foundational idea that a diverse society can govern itself successfully as a democracy without a monarch or a ruling class. It treats the establishment and evolution of the United States as an ongoing test of whether liberty, equality, and self-rule can endure over time.

So what has made the "experiment" successful for 250 years?

In today's Gospel reading from Matthew 10:34-.39, Jesus speaks some of His most challenging words. He reminds us that true discipleship is not about comfort or ease. He calls us to take up our cross, surrender control, and put Him first - even when it costs us.