Religion

Prayer takes on different forms in different religious expressions. Prayers are chanted, spoken or sung. Prayers are spoken aloud or uttered more silently.  One of the notable expressions of prayer in Christianity is the prayer Jesus taught his disciples when they asked, “Lord, teach us to...

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we seem to be in a bubble of more open-minded thinking and inclusion. There are other places, regions and states that seem to be filled with fear of the outsider and suspicion of neighbors of different ethnicity, national...

Methodists have long been known as “a singing people.” I am not a good singer, but I can say that I am a passionate and, hopefully in God’s ears, a beautiful singer. Singing is one of the important parts of my life and in...

From the earliest colonial days of America, there emerged an ethic of honest labor and craftsmanship. From farmers to silversmiths and makers of furniture, household implements and tools, there was a value on both the humanity and honor of work.  Yet, by the end of...

This Sunday, April 20, Christians throughout the world celebrate Easter, the resurrection of Jesus. For Christians, Easter is the most important day of the year (Christmas is a distant second) and this year all Christians celebrate it on the same day.  The date of Easter...

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we seem to be in a bubble of more open-minded thinking and inclusion. There are other places, regions and states that seem to be filled with fear of the outsider and suspicion of neighbors of different ethnicity, national...

Did you celebrate Easter last week with the hope that you have victory over the grave? Easter commemorates the most important event in human history! The foundation of the Christian faith is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Do you believe Jesus lived...

As we approach the darkest time of the year, Jews prepare to celebrate Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights. The ancient story took place in the 2nd century BCE during the reign of Syrian-Greek King Antiochus IV. He imposed harsh decrees upon the Jews forbidding...

The meaning of a name is more important in some cultures than others. In Scripture, the meaning of a name can tell you a lot about a person’s character over their story.  Yahweh (or Jehovah) is the personal name of God in Judaism, derived from...