A second important task of spring clean-up is removal of dead leaves and other debris. Holding onto what is dead interferes with new life! So I carefully remove the dead leaves and other debris from around plants that died back over the winter (see before picture of yellow flag iris at right). Why? Well, there are […]
There’s always lots of clean-up of the yard to do in the spring. Digging the early weeds to keep them from spreading Removal of dead leaves and other debris Pruning things before they leaf out too much All of them have to do with death and new life. If you stop and think about it, […]
Imagine one single dandelion, white with its little helicopters just waiting to take off with the nearest breeze. Lawns and neighbors quake at the sight. Imagine one person with the flu heading into your grocery store and walking up and down every aisle sneezing and touching everything he or she can find. Almost enough to […]
Philip, one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus, has a controversial “Come and See” ministry. He is scattered during the persecution recorded in Acts 8 and begins preaching in Samaria with powerful results. The message “Philip’s Come and See Ministry” was first preached at Plymouth Congregational Church of Racine, WI on April 19, 2015 by Barbara […]
Part of what I do in my life outside of Plymouth is to answer people’s Bible questions over email and through a web site called AllExperts. Oh, I get all kinds of questions. Dear Abby sorts of questions about relationships. Questions about what God thinks of homosexuality, tattoos, Christian hypocrisy, etc. One of the more […]
The Apostle Paul known as one of the most admired Christians and the foremost apologist, evangelist, and missionary for the Christian faith didn’t start out that way. Today, meet Saul (going by his circumcision Jewish name instead of by his Greek name.) Back then, he was the foremost persecutor of the Church. Get to know […]
One of the first things I do every spring is to shovel the snow piles down to a meltable level on the parkway between the sidewalk and the street. I want to see green grass as soon as possible. Of course, that doesn’t happen all by itself. It needs a little help. Call me a […]
I know it’s not the same for people in other areas of the world, but here in Chicagoland, Easter coincides with springtime. What New Year’s Day does for some people is what spring does for me. I dream big. My hopes are sky high. My goals are within reach. My vision seems endless and my […]
Easter Message 2015: The Emptiness That Does Not Disappoint Something empty often brings a sense of disappointment. Bite off the head of the chocolate bunny and find it’s hollow, not solid. Bummer. Play Monopoly at the Jewel Food Stores and get a game code to check online. Log in. Enter your password. Carefully enter the […]
The Easter message “The Emptiness That Does Not Disappoint” was first preached at Plymouth Congregational Church of Racine, WI on April 5, 2015 by Barbara Shafer. Listen on YouTube by clicking this link. Sermon text versions of messages are also available on SeminaryGal.com in the chapel sermon archives.
