Occupied in Gainesville
I love the Sundays when we welcome new members because they remind me to ask again the question that Dar asked in her sermon a couple of Sundays back: why have we come? What are we doing here? It’s good …
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Lean on the Light
Resignation by J.D. McClatchy “I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do.”- Willa Cather. Here the oak and silver-breasted birches Stand in their sweet familiarity While underground, as in …
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This is Why I Have Come
THIS IS WHY I HAVE COME By Dar Mikula Mark 1: 32-39 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, And Jesus healed many who had various …
Continue readingA Celebration of Ministry
I give thanks in every remembrance of you, remembering your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now. That is the Scripture that seemed to fit for us today. For “thank you” may well be the words you …
Continue readingDeclarations of Possibility
What do Wilt Chamberlain, Pink Floyd and our recently approved Search Committee all have in common? Listen to Andy Bachmann’s sermon “Declarations of Possibility” and find out!…
Continue readingA Celebration of Ministry
Fall is one of my favorite times to return to my Midwest roots in the Chicagoland suburbs. Walking through the town where I grew up, I am frequently overcome with a sensory experience that can practically overwhelm both my olfactory …
Continue readingHeart and Soul, Hands and Feet
When I came into the office, the message light on the phone was blinking red. I pushed the play button, and his voice sounded smooth and neutral. I was intrigued because when I listen to him, even if only on …
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A Love That Stretches
Our first Thanksgiving in Gainesville, John and Fonda Eyler let us use their beach house in St. Augustine for a few days. We planned a rather elaborate Thanksgiving feast for the two of us, so after a beautiful night listening …
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Hello-Good-bye-Hello
Philippians 4:4-13 Our summer songs are resolving themselves into the echoes of autumn. Here, we live, move, and have our being to the rhythm of the school year, even if we don’t teach or otherwise work with students, even if …
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While I was on vacation recently, I went down to the lake to do one of my favorite things, stand-up paddle boarding. I’m so old-fashioned that I don’t carry a device for note taking, but paper and pen when I’m …
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To Sing Your Own Song
READINGS: Summer develops in days. Right now body and soul are making adjustments as our place under the sun shifts. We stand between the times, and there is always much to learn at the boundary. In the midst of summer …
Continue readingWhole Rests
The end is near. It has felt that way over the last month, watching the violence of our world exploding onto familiar streets, waking too often to news of death and terror. As these horrific events accumulate, the effect on …
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