The New Year
A curious thing about the Church is the number of occasions we use to celebrate the “new year.” Our liturgical year begins with the first Sunday in Advent, usually late November or early December....
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Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Dear People of God at Ebenezer, “Won’t you be my neighbor? ” As I write this we have just concluded our annual South Carolina Synod Assembly. The theme this year was “Joining God in...
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Caught Being Good
Dear Saints of God at Ebenezer, When our boys were in elementary school they would occasionally bring home a certificate that said “Caught Being Good,” detailing a moment when they were prepared for class,...
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A Common Vocabulary
People of God at Ebenezer, A common vocabulary! I think more and more about what a blessing it is to hear and understand each other, or, sometimes, what a challenge it is to listen receptively and perceive each...
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Our Lenten Journey – God Provides
Dear Saints of God at Ebenezer, As a teenager I frequently made a drive from our home in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (eastern part of the state) to a place on the Cumberland Plateau about an hour west....
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Hearing God’s Gospel in New and Surprising Ways
Dear People of God at Ebenezer, After nearly 2000 years the Gospel still has the capacity to surprise us! Thirty-four years ago as a first year seminary student I went through what was then...
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New Beginnings
Dear Saints of God at Ebenezer, My family will attest that I have said this at the beginning of every family vacation since our sons were born – the best part of any journey is the beginning!...
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And Time Moves On
Among the important items on my bookshelf at Ebenezer, in addition to nine Bibles, is this resource: Temporary Shepherds: A Congregational Handbook for Interim Ministry. The author re–tells his experience on a 30–mile hike in the Green Mountains of Vermont....
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And I Will Pray
Dear Ebenezer family: When you receive this, I’ll be very close to being retired. As I enter this next phase of my life, I am deeply grateful for so many things, not the least of which is...
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Family Promise
I thought you’d like to see my report to the council at their March meeting. Family Promise director, the Rev. Karen Newsome, presented a temple talk during worship on Sunday, March 4, and our Ebenezer team offered...
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