I have been referred to by many names over the years. My birth name is Steven. My grandmother called me "Stevie." My students called me Mr. Welker. My wife calls me "Somebody" (as in "Somebody took my phone charger)!" My kids called me Dad. My kids' friends called me "Mr. Welker, Alison's dad, April's dad and one even called me "Father" because she knew I was some kind of religious person. Of course, I have been called Rev. Welker or Pastor Steve (I prefer Pastor Steve because it does not sound as old as "Rev. Welker." The name that I have most cherished these last two years has been "Papou." Yes, it is Greek, and no my ancestry is not from Greece. My wife, Brenda (now known as Yia Yia) an

Timothy Merritt, Editor of Homiletics, shared this recently. "Someone once asked a rabbi if it's necessary to follow all the traditions of Judaism in order to affirm the Jewish faith. The rabbi took a glass of water and poured part of it out on the ground. "The water in the glass and the water on the ground," he explained, "are identical. But for me to drink the water, I need to have it in the glass." The season of Lent is upon us. By the time you have read this article the Ash Wednesday Services have taken place, and "off we go" on the Lenten journey. As I shared in last week's article, as we are preparing for the Lenten Season, wouldn't this be a good time to revisit our covenant with God-

Talitha Arnold wrote recently in her Still Speaking Devotion: The Rev. Dr. Reuben Sheares III once described scripture, prayer, and hymns of worship as "the Word that shapes us." Is that true for you? When you worship do the scriptures, prayers, and hymns offer you words that shape who you are and how you will be in the world? Are you shaped by words that are not found in the scriptures or prayers or hymns during worship? We all find ourselves at times being influenced by words. We have that common used phrase that "words matter." Therefore, if they matter, should we not be on guard for what words tend to drive us as humans and children of God? How can we read in the scriptures of showing h

The price of our vitality is the sum of all our fears. — DAVID WHYTE —Batterson, Mark. Wild Goose Chase: Reclaim the Adventure of Pursuing God (p. 143). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. A pair of psychologists from the University of Michigan conducted a fascinating study that sheds light on the fear of loss. One hundred and six volunteers donned caps containing electrodes, and while they engaged in a computer-simulated betting game, researchers analyzed their brains' electrical activity in response to winning and losing. The betting game allowed subjects to place either a five-or a twenty-five-cent bet, and after they made their selection, the box they checked turned green or red,