On November 14th we had to say “goodbye for now” to one of the Saints of Bethel, Gordon Rutland. Gordon and Shirley Rutland were faithful attendees of our Sacred Circle on Wednesday evenings; in fact, they were always among the first to arrive. When they arrived, I’d always ask, “How are you two doing this evening?” Gordon’s answer was always, without fail, the same. He’d say,

On October 17th we gathered to say “goodbye for now” to one of the saints of Bethel, Florence McLeod. Florence was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2020. She fought a brave fight; kept a positive attitude and I was genuinely moved by her resilient spirit. One of the things that kept her spirits high was our Bethel church family.

With Thanksgiving approaching I began to reflect on what it means to be grateful. Pastor/Preacher Fred Craddock says that the final act of God in one’s life is to make us both grateful and gracious. As I reflected on that statement I began to wonder, “Who are some of the most grateful and gracious people that I know?” I thought of a number of people, but near the top of my list has to be Romy Merchant. He’s often said to me, “I’m so grateful for what the Lord has done for me.” Recently I sat down with Romy to ask how he lives a life of gratefulness.

One of the most often asked questions I get is, “How do I know God’s will for my life?” When we face a big decision, we’d like to know that God is leading us and will speak to us.

Bruce Lewis has been cutting my hair for the better part of 20 years. I look forward to my monthly trip to Bruce’s barber shop because of the stories. Bruce has a gift for storytelling. On my last visit he told me the story of a friend of his that recently passed away, his name was Bernard.