Author Archives: Oak Chapel UMC

Faith Often Calls for Clear Thinking, Quick Action It was a rainy, foggy morning in March of 1974, just three months before our high school graduation. My friends and I were on our way to the bus stop, chatting about who knows what, when we came upon a frightening sight. One of our classmates laidContinue reading “In A Nutshell | March 18, 2022”

Opportunities to Re-Engage with the Word of God  Now that we are becoming a little more comfortable gathering together in small groups, I would like to make a pitch for Christian Education at Oak Chapel. We currently have two Sunday School classes and one Bible study, but we hope to expand our offerings in theContinue reading “In A Nutshell | March 11, 2022”

Reflect, Repent, Reconcile, and Reconnect This Lent The older I get, the more I regret. Thoughtless words, careless actions, and bad decisions over the course of my lifetime cause me to wonder  why I didn’t exercise better judgment and greater forethought. Thank God for the gift of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ! Where wouldContinue reading “In A Nutshell | March 4, 2022”

Ashes to Ashes, Death to Life Our Lenten journey officially begins next week with the imposition of ashes on Ash Wednesday. I hope you will consider joining us for a brief, but meaningful service at7 p.m. that evening. This storied tradition of Ash Wednesday dates back centuries and reminds us that our life in thisContinue reading “In A Nutshell | February 25, 2022”

Making Our Way to the Cross You never know what you might see simply by gazing out the window. A few weeks ago, I watched a man walk toward the church on West Old Lincoln Way. It’s not really a safe roadway for pedestrians in ideal weather conditions, but with all the snow that hadContinue reading “In A Nutshell | February 18, 2022”

Paralympians Excel with Optimism and So Can We The fortnight of Olympic competition reaches the halfway point this weekend, but the real heroes will take center stage next month when the Paralympic Games are held in Beijing. These athletes may not receive the same attention or acclaim as those currently competing, but a strong caseContinue reading “In A Nutshell | February 11, 2022”

God and the Groundhog: Whom Do You Believe? There is an unwritten rule in ministry that a pastor should not preach about Groundhog Day more than once in a career. So, since I invited Gabe the Groundhog to speak through his alter ego (Bill Braucher) a year ago, I will honor that rule and notContinue reading “In A Nutshell | February 4, 2022”

Life’s Lessons Often Revealed in the Snow As I gazed out of my office window earlier this week, I watched the snow fall — slowly, steadily, even serenely — adding several more inches to the nearly half-a-foot that had already accumulated. Even though we typically don’t get a lot of snow in our area —Continue reading “In A Nutshell | January 28, 2022”

Searching for the Light that Illuminates all of Life Debby Boone has the distinction of recording one of the most popular — and most disparaged — love ballads of all time. “You Light Up My Life” spent 10 weeks atop Billboard Magazine’s Top 100 songs in 1977, but it wasn’t long before the song becamewidelyContinue reading “In A Nutshell | January 21, 2022”

Consider the Ways We Can Answer God’s Call With the increasing number of unwanted phone calls that we all receive on a daily basis, most of us are choosing not to answer unless we recognize the number. Likewise, when we order online, we are reluctant to participate in any of the online surveys that followContinue reading “In A Nutshell | January 14, 2022”