God has promised never to leave or forsake you It was late on a Friday afternoon when our twenty-seven year old son, Sam, arrived at our house. His arrival excited me because we were entering the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness the next day. The week-long trek would be our first father-son trip since he had been married and started a new career years before. Having him there and knowing that I was packed and free from responsibility at the church I had a sense that nothing could detract from the joy and anticipation of being together in one of our favorite places in God’s creation.

‘The Kingdom of God’... theme park of Jesus For several years I was on the Board of Directors for a national organization that met in Florida – in January. As long as someone else was paying the plane fare I would often take a little extra time and grab a few days of vacation. Because I flew in and out of Orlando I would often visit one of the theme parks. Each one had a special quality and feel.

All Hallows’ Eve... the night before All Saints Day Today is Halloween. It derives its name from being the evening before All Saints Day. Thus “All Hallows’ Eve.” For some in the church, primarily Protestants, and specifically Lutherans, today is also Reformation Day.

Finding ways to share the peace in all the panic “The Peace of the Lord be with you all.” “And also with you.” These words or something very similar will be spoken throughout many of our churches in our time of worship this weekend. Or will they?

Unholy fear and finding courage in Go We like to be scared. In the dark of the end of October, at Halloween, or even in the movie theater. And we do not hesitate to teach our children to be afraid — of strangers, of sharp objects, of terrorists, of the flu.

The plot thickens: Our story and God’s story Sometimes I think that my life is one big story, and I have yet to figure out if it’s a comedy, tragedy, drama, fantasy, or all of the above. Most people, I think, can easily see themselves as the protagonist of their life story, as the hero or heroine struggling valiantly against adversity, or as a helpless victim of harsh circumstances, or even as the comic relief for others.