Living in Lent

2/18/26 Rev. Shannon M. Rogers Lent. How is it that it seems to have come so early this year? And what in the world is Lent, anyways? Well here’s what it is, in basic form: It is a 40-day period in the Christian liturgical calendar, when Christians “consider” what Jesus’ sacrifice means. It was formalized…

Much Ado About Love

Do you ever just wish for one short second, the world could understand and apply love—in all its forms—well? That love—whichever form we are speaking of—would be respected, reciprocated, and lavished amongst ourselves without being so utterly stained by the sin of this world? I mean, we all make judgments every day—our brains are good…

He Who Obeys

Most pastors and those who follow Jesus closely will often ask: “What’s your word for the year?” Often, this means that you’ve heard from the Lord at the beginning of the year about a certain theme or word or verse on which you are focused. At the beginning of 2025, I didn’t get that sense…

Dealing with Disappointment

This life is certainly not short of its sorrows and disappointments. Perhaps they come from lack of insight or wisdom; maybe from poor decisions you’ve made; possibly from a person or group of people who’ve hurt you; it could even be a hurt caused by a family member, or maybe it was due to a…

Learning to Wait

I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the colder I get. Winter, though I try to embrace all the seasons where I live, is not my best friend. Most of the time, it’s brown, straw-colored, or monochromatic white skies and white snow. But most of the time, Winter is cold, wet, dreary,…

Overcoming Fear

After the last few years where fear has come to the forefront–and the media continues to proliferate headlines of fear, I’ve come to recognize exactly how many decisions we tend to make, based on fear. We may not name it–we may not even understand or recognize when we do. But certainly a great deal of…

A Seasonal Lament: For Those in Mourning

I have seen your sorrow— the shadow that surrounds your soul and darkens your countenance. Though pregnant with endless question, this suffering season will not endure— You cannot see beyond this moment; tomorrow too far to consider. How will you make it there with this very hour insurmountable? Your weeping seems endless and your mourning…

Targeted

1 Peter is full of messages for the suffering Church—from which we could use a big dose, these days: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the…

The Voices We Heed

Because of some developments and circumstances in my own life and in the life of the denomination in which I am a part, I have been in a holding pattern. I anticipated taking some significant steps in ministry during this season of my life, but they have yet to unfold. So, as the organization for…

To Be Continued…

I’ve been gone for a while–and for good reason. The holiday season wasn’t what we’d hoped–and in fact, we really didn’t get to celebrate them when they came by. I’ll share more later, but we are still processing. SO, I want to start off the new year with some things that I’ve learned in this…