“It started to rain just as the funeral was beginning. The ushers held open wide golf umbrellas. For the family, the rain didn’t matter. God was crying with us, on us. We pushed the simple pine casket through the gray drizzle, slowly moving it on a roller bed over the wet earth. The ushers lowered the casket….We read Psalm 23 together. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me.” I spoke about Alyssa, how easy it was for her to love. Her big heart. Her willingness to forgive.
Sermons
Sermons
Teacher Appreciation Service
May 3, 2013
“On the third day, as morning dawned, there was thunder, and lightning, and a dense cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the horn.
And all the people who were in the camp trembled. Moses led the people out of the camp toward God and they took their places at the food of the mountain.” (Exodus 19:16-17)
April 26, 2013
After thousands of miles of an arduous journey and close enough to the border of the United States that they could see the lights of a major American city they were turned back. Denied entry. The dreams and the hopes of America - the land of opportunity - was at their fingertips, but they were unable to enter. They yearned for America, the land of freedom, the land of immigrants, a beacon of hope for all those distressed. However, once they were discovered they were stalked by the American authorities, unable to enter the land they aspired to live in. The trave
April 19, 2013
The diameter of the bomb was thirty centimeters
and the diameter of its effective
range -- about seven meters.
And in it four dead and eleven wounded.
And around them in a greater circle
of pain and time are scattered
two hospitals and one cemetery.
But the young woman who was
buried where she came from
over a hundred kilometers away
enlarges the circle greatly.
And the lone man who weeps over her death
in a far corner of a distant country
April 12, 2013
Breaking news, from this week’s People Magazine: Prince William and Princess Kate are excited to be having a baby. I know, you’re grateful that I’ve brought this important information to you. Yes, it’s true. I have been known to peruse People Magazine from time to time. For some inexplicable reason, I get a kick out of reading about the lives of celebrities. And the thriving entertainment “news” industry shows that I am not alone. Many of us are enticed by gossip, whether it is about the rich and famous or about the fam
March 29, 2013
Not long after I moved here from Los Angeles and settled down in Palo Alto, I was surprised to see that the New York Times was writing about my new home town. Here’s the article I read. It’s dated November 8, 2000, and the title is “Palo Alto Journal: Hidden Away, Trailer Park Watches as Silicon Valley Drives By (By Evelyn Nieves).”
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