During worship on January 2, 2022, the congregation received their "star words" for the year. This is a word that you look at everyday, and reflect upon its meaning and invite God to speak to you through this word. My “star” word is “tenderness”. I had a tough time finding the definition. I could find the word “tender” but not “tenderness”. So, I did what many people do (but I usually forget to do). I googled it. Oxford Languages defines it as “gentleness” and “kindness”

On God's New Governance ​ We say so easily, “Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory.” We rush to the next item as though that mantra was obvious or unimportant. We mouth your rule, And then we settle back to our habitual ways, of initiative and control, of despair and resentment, of varying degrees of fatigue, or cynicism, or anxiety. Having made the affirmation, we find ourselves still waiting, waiting for your fresh word, waiting for your powerful appearance, wa

I grew up in the Catholic faith. I spent 8 years attending Catholic school where we prayed every day, multiple times a day. We started the day with prayer, we prayed before lunch, we prayed before and after religion class. In the third grade, we learned to pray the rosary. That meant memorizing and reciting the Apostles Creed, the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary and Glory Be to the Father. Catholics believe praying the rosary is a time to be restful and contemplative. The