Browsing Deacon Wilson's Wisdom
Welcome Home
Posted by Janice Schmidbauer on 5/11/20
Occasionally when I find myself in that part of Kenosha where I grew up, I take a detour and drive past my old neighborhood. It’s a nostalgic moment as I stop in front of the white house on the corner where I grew up, and allow a flood ... Read More »
Shepherds All
Posted by Janice Schmidbauer on 5/04/20
While the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd was once very popular, many of us today might not appreciate being compared to sheep. From ancient Hebrew Scriptures Ezekiel reminds us: “I myself will look after and tend my sheep. …I will rescue them, give them rest…the lost ... Read More »
Down the Road
Posted by Janice Schmidbauer on 4/29/20
We have all had the experience of losing our way and desperately searching for road signs and GPA directives that will lead us successfully to our destination. After many wrong turns, missed markers, and a shattered sense of direction, we realize we are hopelessly lost. A similar happening ... Read More »
Christ's Love Forever
Posted by Janice Schmidbauer on 4/20/20
Human understanding can only develop when some connection---some bond exists among people. Empathy is strengthened by love, and relationships are enhanced when a common connection is recognized. An orchestra conductor will tell you that it is easy to tell if a musician loves the music being played by the ... Read More »
Life on the Other Side
Posted by Penny Haney on 4/13/20
Today, we celebrate the happy ending to our tragic Good Friday story. Jesus has risen! Alleluia! We shout “Alleluia!” because we celebrate the greatest of all endings, Jesus has risen. We also celebrate the fact that each of us has been given a new beginning. Because of Jesus, we ... Read More »
True to Self
Posted by Penny Haney on 4/06/20
There is a classic and much quoted line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. “This above all: to thine own self be true.” It was good advice for Hamlet, and it is good advice for all who wish to lead others along life’s spiritual journey. Henri Nouwen, theologian and author, a few ... Read More »
Come Out
Posted by Penny Haney on 3/28/20
We are all eager to find love, but as a young widow remarked: “Someone should have told me that love plants the seed of grief, and the deeper the love the deeper the grief. Even if we never say it aloud, we come to know that love readies us ... Read More »
How Blind Are We?
Posted by Penny Haney on 3/21/20
There is definitely an element of fear connected with darkness, whether that darkness is physical or spiritual. It is comforting to remember however, that there is never darkness so deep or so powerful that we cannot be liberated by God’s grace. Helen Keller, in her autobiography, The Story ... Read More »
Are You Thirsty?
Posted by Penny Haney on 3/11/20
Water is essential to maintain life. Everything that lives needs water. To people living so close to Lake Michigan, water seems like no big deal, but to people living in arid regions of the world, water is a most valuable commodity. Anyone who has traveled to an arid region ... Read More »
Vision Experiences
Posted by Penny Haney on 3/06/20
Visions have always been tricky occurrences. Whether they take place on the top of mountains, within the limits of our imagination, or against the backdrop of our everyday lives, they speak primarily to the viewer who is often left struggling to understand just what the vision means. While the ... Read More »