Occasionally after a Bible study session someone will ask me “What is the best Bible translation?” I am tempted to say, “the one you will actually read.” With a very few exceptions all Bible translations are attempts to be accurate and convey the biblical material faithfully. That having been said, the process of translation is a difficult one. There may not be an exact equivalent for a word or phrase between two different languages. Structure in one language may be missing in another language. Even within a language usages may change over time and culture. British English and American English can be startlingly different. Old English works can require a translation to be fully available to moderns. Translation purposes can vary as well. Does the translation intend to convey the structure and vocabulary of the original or does it intend to convey the meaning in modern idiom or does it combine the two in some form? Different translations may be suitable to different groups. A translation of the bible in Basic English attempted to convey the Bible’s message with a limited vocabulary for those whose vocabulary was limited. Paraphrases like the Living Bible or the Message attempt to restate the meaning of the text while translations like the New American Standard Bible, the New Revised Standard Version, the New International Version, or the English Standard Bible try to stick closer to the text. The Authorized version (King James Version) preserves the familiar language of the 1611 translation. My advice is read them all. The all will help expose the richness of the biblical text. But whatever you do “Read your Bible.”
02/21/2021
Even though I have spent many years driving in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Michigan snow country, I am still capable of making foolish decisions. On Tuesday after the big snow I drove over to the church to check out the parking lot and to try to get in to work in the office. The lot had not been plowed but the road in was clear. When I got to the parking lot, it did not look too bad. How wrong I was. I got half way to the office door sidewalk when the car bung up in the snow. With some effort I was able to back out most of the way. I made it within a yard of the clear spot, but then there was no go. After struggling for 15 minutes, I trudged through the snow to get the snow shovel from church. I started shoveling while Sue fretted about a possible heart attack for me because of shoveling and trying again to reverse out of the deep snow. I only needed one yard to make it out but I had no luck. Finally a neighbor, Peter, came out and with a push from him we made it the final yard. We thanked him profusely. As he was leaving he said, “Have a blessed day.” I responded, “You have been my blessing today!” As I have thought about this event. Sometimes we just need a little extra push to reach the goal and that push often comes from others even at times from unexpected sources. Hope can pop up just when it seems hopeless. Admittedly getting stuck isn’t life’s biggest tragedy especially when it is the result of our own foolishness, but even the smallest trials can benefit from a splash of hope. Thanks Peter, for being our angel of hope in the midst of our frustration. Our small frustration became a source of blessing in a snowy season.
02/14/2021
I can remember when I turned 21. I had just returned from Nigeria, West Africa from a summer with Experiment in International Living. Part of that summer had been spent in Aba in Eastern Nigeria living with a Yoruba family. We had visited Northern Nigeria as a group. I never imagined the connection I would later feel with the Church of the Brethren in Northern Nigeria. Twenty-one is a kind of magic number in the US with both legal and cultural issues attached to it. It is a marker of full adulthood for all of us. For some of my contemporaries it meant that they could legally drink alcohol. That did not fit my lifestyle. It was also at the time the legal age for voting. Even then I thought it was strange that one could go into the armed services at eighteen and fight in a war, but could not legally vote. There was a new level of rights and responsibilities that had been opened up. Frankly, I didn’t feel any older or more mature than I had the day before, but in a few years I was married and working as a minister. I had worked hard to prepare for my work, but I was still very inexperienced. I now marvel at the grace extended to me by my first congregation. Many in the church were wiser and more experienced, but they listened to me and helped me grow as a person and as a minister. Today as I wrote a check with the date 2021, I wondered whether this could be somehow symbolic. Certainly this is a year with new responsibility and new opportunity. We are just beginning to emerge from a time of chaos and uncertainty. Will we be up for the challenge of 21? Can we find maturity and community to respond to the new situations? I am sure that at 21 years of age there was more potential than achievement. For the year 2021 can we move from potential to achievement together? God willing with our best effort this can be the year we all hope for. .
02/07/2021
As a youngster, I participated in the Boy Scouts of America. We were taught the Boy Scout motto, composed by Baden Powell, “Be prepared.” It was designed to help boys be prepared in mind and body to do their duty to God and country. I often now see articles, books and ads counseling people to be prepared. Like the Scout’s motto the motive seems to be to protect oneself and one’s family for a supposed coming disaster. There seems to be little focus on civic duty or responsibility to the larger community. There seems to be some wisdom in preparing for a power outage or a weather disaster, but where is the concern for the larger community? The toilet paper crisis of a year ago seemed largely set off by people buying up more than they needed to protect themselves. Grocery stores had to limit how much was sold to individuals or there would not be enough for everyone. Civic regard for each other was literally as thin as tissue paper. I do not fault anyone who does advance planning to prepare for emergencies, but there are good reasons to avoid a run on the bathroom tissue bank. As we prepare to take care of ourselves and our families, could we also think of how our preparedness might include our neighbors? If we share, perhaps, there will be enough for everyone. Perhaps that may seem idealistic, but it does remind me of Jesus telling his disciples to give the crowd something to eat. Then he broke the bread and divided the fish and afterwards baskets of left overs were taken so that there was more to share. For Jesus the pattern always seems to be to look beyond just ourselves to also consider the needs of those around us.
01/31/2021
I am amazed at how new products can, in a short time, become “necessary” parts of our lives. Sticky notes are an example of that phenomenon. A failed experiment for a new adhesive found a market in notes that can both sick where they are put, but can also be easily removed without damage. Now these little notes can be found everywhere. They appear in various sizes and colors. Someone even found notes shaped and decorated like Hawaiian shirts. I’m not sure what I would do without them. Other new products may have become popular, but have unexpected consequences. When polyester double knit fabrics became available they swept the market. But I found them to be hot in humid summer weather and much too breezy in winter weather. One summer I went to garage sales and found wool trousers which many were eliminating in favor of polyester. That winter I was toasty in my wool trousers while others had frosty knee caps. Sometimes the new is superior and at other times the old is much better. I like the mix of things old and new. Chicken and noodles with an old stewing hen seems much better to me than chicken and noodles with a spring chicken. But for fried chicken I like the tender spring chicken best. The richest world seems to be one where the new and old get together in creative balance. I want to sing the old songs right next to the new songs. I want to read the classics and also the new up and coming others. I want to eat Grandma’s old fashioned recipes and find new cuisine to sample from places I have never visited. I love the poems I remember from my youth and hear the new voices of young poets. The richness of the old and the freshness of the young both fill me with delight. – Both are gifts from God.
01/24/2021 Guest Columnist: Gene Roop
I’m glad to see that many people are eager to find a way over, under, around or through the walls we have built to separate us from those with whom we disagree. It is apparent on the national scene and perhaps also within and between many congregations, communities and ethnic groups.
The first condition that enables such walls to come down: both sides want that to happen. Very little progress can be made if the conditions don’t work in favor of a new community. Often people only want the wall to come down if the other side “sees that we’re right”. That only reinforces the existing wall.
The tragedy at the capitol on January 6 may have made possible the dismantling of the wall reinforcing the political divide. We don’t know that unless we try. There is no excuse for such violent “invasion” that killed, injured and threatened the legislators and others. However, violence of some sort is frequently the result of the continued escalation of polarizing words and actions. I’m inclined to say that it is inevitable, but I don’t quite want to believe it is “inevitable.”
In my “bones,” I felt a tragedy building. I had hoped it could have stopped before words and attitudes became violent. But not so. Does this make a “new” relationship possible? I don’t know, but I want us to try.
I absolutely believe that God remains active, creating a “new community.” So this is not our last chance. God won’t let it be the last chance. But let’s use this moment as best we can to develop a more respectful community of dialog. The goal is not to put an end to disagreement. That won’t happen. But we can develop a community where disagreement is not polarized into allies and enemies.
01/17/2021 Pat Beck
It is hard to watch the news anymore because there is so much going on in the world that is destructive. So, I would like to take a moment and bring to you some “acts of kindness” that have occurred during these trying times.
A doctor in Arkansas gave a special gift to his cancer patients. They each received a card and in it they found a message that said that their debt for treatment had been paid. In total, the doctor spent around $650,000 to help those who were struggling with paying their healthcare bills.
A high school in Texas opened a food pantry that looked like a grocery store. It is available to any student and their family who need some assistance. They get a card with points (amounts depend on size of family) that they use to “buy” their groceries. This atmosphere was established so that those who utilize this service could keep their dignity.
In Indianapolis, police officers were given 50 gift cards to randomly distribute to citizens. A local businessman donated the funds that purchased the cards. What an awesome way to change the relationship between officers and the citizens they serve.
These are just a few of the many acts of kindness that go on every day and I hope these stories bring a smile to your face. I do not need to remind you all to be kind, because you have shown kindness to others on numerous occasions and I, too, have been the recipient of your kind words and actions. Have a wonderful week. Grace and Peace.
01/10/2021
DEVOTION FROM BULLETIN COVER
I’m going to be completely honest. I’m afraid of the dark. My biggest fear is that I can’t see what’s in front of me and I’m afraid of the unknown. I have an active imagination that creates dangerous scenarios when I’m in the darkness of night. And yet, it was exactly in this darkness, when the earth was a formless void, that God came in and started all of creation.
The first thing God created was light. God saw that the light was good, and there was evening and morning on the first day. The light that God created burst forth into chaos, into darkness, into the shadows of the night, and shined so radiantly that the world began with its first day.
For many of us, last year was a year of darkness and chaos. The pandemic, the economic crisis, and the ongoing injustice of systemic racism plagued our minds and our hearts. We missed out on in-person worship, summer camp, and our own Annual Conference. As 2021 begins, may we join God in creating light for this broken world, so that all may know of God’s love and grace in this new beginning.
God, we give thanks for the creation of light that shines so brightly to bring us hope, grace, and love in the broken darkness of this world. As this new year begins, help us to use our own creativity to join you in bringing light and life so there is justice and peace for all your beloved creation. Amen.
Mandy North,Manassas, Virginia
01/03/2020
A beloved choir director used to remind us in the church choir that God has perfect pitch. It was his humorous way of reminding us that staying in pitch was very important. Sagging in pitch could make us flat against the well- tuned piano and driving sharp was equally disastrous. Even those with limited musical skills can hear when the piano and the choir are fighting a pitched battle. In reality the best musicians cannot measure up to a God sized musicianship. Christmas reminds us that carols can be joined even by those who would never be asked to sing a solo. As we age some of us notice a change in our voices from earlier times, but we sill experience the joy of singing with the choir or congregation even if our pitch is not perfect. One of the ways God is perfect is in his perfect acceptance of us flawed human beings. God’s grace is not a grudging acceptance of us, but a whole hearted welcome to us and to whoever will come to God. So we sing out knowing that our voices together rise up before God as a poem of praise to our God. From the lilting vices of children to the quavering voice of the most aged among us the song reaches the ears of God and he pronounces it well done. We will always try to present our offering of musical praise in the most accurate way that we can manage. It is, after all, our gift of worship to the great ruler of the universe but we will be confident that our best effort however, inadequate it seems to us, will please our loving heavenly Father. Soli Deo Gloria, “To the glory of God alone,” was inscribed by J.S. Bach on his compositions. Many others like George Fredrick Handel have done the same. Even when not directly expressed it is in the heart of the true worshippers of God.
12/27/2020
For lo, the days are hast’ning on, By prophets seen of old. When with the ever circling years Shall come the time fore told. When peace shall over all the earth Its ancient splendors sing. And the whole world sends back the song Which now the angels sing.
This is still our hope that we might live in a world at peace. A world where people listen to each other rather than shout slogans at each other, a world which rattles olive branches rather than sabers, a world which shares rather than grasps to itself, a world which measures people by content of their character rather than the color of their skin, a world where no one is left behind, isolated or ignored, a world where the humble sit at the table with the elect and both are heard, a world of love rather than hatred, a world of security rather than fear, a world of plenty rather than want, a world of dignity rather than shame, a world of gentleness rather than violence, a world of equality rather than discrimination, a world united rather than divided, a world well rather than sick, a world full rather than hungry, a world of family and friends rather than enemies and opponents, a world of peace rather than war. I know that the poem “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” is too optimistic about how near that world is to fruition, but even it seems to move more like glaciers than melting than flash floods. Can we not still work to bring that world closer? 2020 has been a hard year. Can we promise each other that we will make 2021 a better year? A year in which that idealized world comes a little closer to reality? Soli deo gloria. To God alone be the glory!
12/20/2020
Why I Like Santa Claus,
Santa Claus has been part of the American landscape for a very long time. In 1773 a New York newspaper described a group of Dutch immigrants who were celebrating the feast day of Saint Nicholas. The shortened name in Dutch is Sinter Klaas which was further Anglicized to Santa Claus. Much later Clement Clark Moore, an Anglican minister wrote the poem "A “Visit from Saint Nicholas” more popularly known as “Twas the Night Before Christmas” that is the source for the present image of Santa Claus. The cartoonist, Thomas Nast gave us the vision of Santa with a red suit trimmed in white fur based on his artistic interpretation of Moore’s poem. The original St. Nicholas was a third century bishop from what is now Turkey. He was known for his kindness and generosity to the poor and oppressed. Renowned for his gentleness, he became the patron saint of children and of sailors. My children knew part of this story from an early age, but we still found delight in “Tis the Night Before Christmas”. At our house we continue to find gifts from Santa under our tree. That the image of Santa has evolved from that gentle follower of Jesus to the more modern jolly old elf does not trouble me. The joyous act of giving spread around the world, at least in our imaginations, is the kind of image I want paired with the holy child in the manger, God’s gift to all humanity. A little excuse to celebrate that great gift by giving gifts to each other seems justified to me. So as far as I am concerned, wrap it up in tinsel and bright paper. Set out the favorite dishes. Festoon the house with glitter. Play games, watch football, eat too many cookies and give thanks for family, for each other, for Jesus and bless the God who is over all. Peace on earth and goodwill to all humankind.
12/13/2020
On my Aunt Esther’s Christmas tree there were some crude colored paper ornaments which to my teenage mind looked especially tacky on an otherwise beautifully decorated tree. I finally realized that they had been made by my older cousin, Jim, when he was a young child. For my aunt they were beautiful reminders of her son’s childhood. It is interesting how love can transform the mundane into something extra ordinarily beautiful. It is often said that no one ever has an ugly baby. For a loving family, all babies are beautiful. I wonder if that is how God sees us. Are we all beautiful to him because he loves us? We certainly come in all shapes and sizes. We are brown eyed, blue eyed, green eyed and hazel eyed wonders. Our hair colors are black, brown, blond, red, and gray and all varieties of each type, even without help from the hair dresser. Our skin tones vary from pale pink to blue black, but we are all beautiful in our own way. Maybe variety is beautiful to our God. I do know that love transforms our perception of other people. The lovely smooth skin of the baby is beautiful, but so is the crinkled skin of a beloved aging granny. Could that love be extended to take in all those who are different than we are? Could love even beautify the enemy so that we see each one as a beloved brother or sister? We were all one family at creation; perhaps the love of Jesus could make us one family again throughout the whole world. That would make this the happiest Christmas of all time. Merry Christmas to you all!
12/06/2020
Now that we are past the celebration of Thanksgiving and into the season of Advent at our house, Christmas music is already playing during much of the day. Over the years we have collected a rather large group of Christmas CDs. Montavani soars with “Joy to the World” with all the extra violins. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir backed by the massive sound of the pipe organ sings the old and new favorites. We have popular singers like Barbra Streisand and Jonny Mathis. We have James Galway on the flute and New Orleans style jazz Christmas carols. There is a Scottish Christmas and a set of Italian carols. The Gaither Vocal Band makes an appearance and there is a light sprinkling of country. Several Manheim Steamroller CDs blast through the speakers and there are Celtic Christmas songs to recall our time in St. Andrews, Scotland. The Vienna Boys Choir with Placido Domingo and also a Pavrotti CD are there so the operatic voices are not missing. Handel’s Messiah has several CDs and Alfred Burt Carols bring in a jazz motif. We have a capella groups like Take 6 and many instrumental collections by non-famous groups. Heather Bays, who sang at our church for our anniversary celebration, calls up memories of that occasion. We have so many that this year I decided to play all of them in a random order. In the process I discovered our most unusual Christmas CD. In the background of the traditional carols one can hear water lapping or the shore, bird calls, wind on the trees and other natural sounds. It is wonderfully soothing to hear. It is slow and quiet, and quite the opposite of loud blaring speakers in stores. While this Christmas is different than past Christmas times, I still feel the need to slow down in the business of the season and find a way to hear ”How silently, how silently the wondrous gift is given. So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven”.
11/29/2020
It is almost time to find a new calendar. There are already dates in 2021 which I need to record and my paper calendar only has a single page for 2021 dates. I know that I could use the many calendars which exist on my cell phone and lap top computer, but I prefer my Calendar and Workbook for Church Leaders. It has a full page for Sunday and other pages for Monday through Saturday. It is the best for my work style. This Sunday, November 29 is the first Sunday in Advent. After this Sunday there are only four Sundays before 2021. I am waiting in eager anticipation for 2021. I have high hopes that it will be a better, kinder, more peaceful year. I know that simply turning over a new page on the calendar does not really change anything. It is largely symbolic, but emotionally it feels like a new start. It feels like the slate is washed clean and new possibilities are on the horizon. In reality 2021 will only be a better year than 2020 if we all join together to make it a better year. That’s why I decided to write about the new year on the last Sunday in November. It is the beginning of the season of anticipation that we call Advent. We look forward to the coming of Jesus as they did in the past and as we do in the present. What will Jesus coming to us mean for the coming 2021? What can I do in my life and family that will make for a better year and glorify Christ Jesus? What can we do as a congregation to make 2021 a better year and glorify Christ Jesus? We have the next four weeks to think, plan and pray before the New Year arrives. As we end this year in Christmas celebration, let’s begin the New Year with commitment to whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, excellent, worthy of praise. Let us think about these things and put them into practice. (Philippians 4:8)
11/22/2020
Thanksgiving is not just an annual event. It is, rather, an everyday attitude. This year in the midst of the pandemic families are being encouraged to forgo meeting in person to celebrate Thanksgiving. This is difficult for all of us who love family being together. We are more fortunate than previous generation in that we have ways to be in contact electronically that those generations could hardly even imagine. Because of face time I can see my grandchildren in Colorado. With Zoom I can see my grandchildren in Florida. I can reach my brother in South Dakota by phone and text. Would I like to give them a real hug? Of course I would, but we are still connected. These resources are available to our family every day for which I am grateful. I will admit; however that those calls seem even more special on the Thanksgiving holiday. We need special times like thanksgiving to remind us of important things like being thankful every day, of valuing our families every day, of enjoying our friendships every day. We thank God every day in our prayers, but every seventh day we are reminded in special ways of the range of God’s blessings. Every Thanksgiving, every Christmas, every New Years, every Easter, we remember our own story of God’s abundant blessings. We remember our congregation’s story of God’s abundant blessings, We remember the stories of our faith filled with God’s blessing from Genesis even up to the present moment. There will in the future be other in person and hug filled holidays, but even now in the midst of the current restrictions we know that we are the recipients of God’s abundant blessings.
11/15/2020
This is the season for the arrival of catalogs. Yesterday, the Vermont Country Store arrived with its old fashioned products. One the same day the catalog for ordering Swedish Kringle arrived. We even received catalogs we have never seen before with products with clever slogans or strange inventions which are fascinating in their attempt to solve problems that we never knew that we had. One of my favorite time wasters is to browse through these without even being tempted to buy anything. I suppose this is the modern equivalent of window shopping. It does also take me back to my childhood of searching the toy catalog for the one perfect toy for Christmas.Among the more tempting catalogs I receive is The Great Courses catalog.These courses are on DVD and feature renowned expert teachers with all types of knowledge.Art, Science, Religion, Music, Business, Literature and Language are all represented along with many practical skills.I have bought some of these when they are on sale.They are wonderful ways to keep on learning after formal education is over.One can proceed at one’s own pace and stay as long as interest lasts.It is important to keep on learning and growing.Many of us worry about our bodies expanding but helping our minds expand is always going to be a positive thing.When I was a child the first question that I was asked was “What have you learned today?”I believe it is still a good question even for adults to ask.“What have we learned today?”Even when we arrive in heaven I hope there will be space to continue to learn and grow.
11/08/2020
Monday we experienced the first hard freeze of the season. The temperatures were wintery and some of the plants suffered as a result. Later in the week the temperatures were unseasonably warm. Still the hard freeze was a reminder that winter is not far off. It reminded me of how much I look forward to the first snow. There is something magical about the blanket of snow covering the bare earth. If there is ice hanging from branches, the light shining through the trees creates such prismatic glory. Sun off the snowy hills makes a new landscape. For a few moments everything seems shiny with possibilities. I know that some of that beauty will become slushy traps to pour over the top of my shoes when I step off a curb. By February my delight at the first snow will be lost in my grumbling about the cold, raw wet. But for the moment the first snow is a beautiful wonderland. What a delight in is to live in a part of the country where we experience the change of seasons. I don’t think I would enjoy living where there was only one season or even just two. Just when I am getting bored with one season the new one is on the horizon. I enjoy the change. It reminds me that change is not always scary or difficult. Sometimes the changes of life are exciting and refreshing. After all we worship a God who says, “Behold, I make all things new.” No one can anticipate all the changes that will come in the next several years. Our past tells us that we will like some of the changes and not appreciate some of the other changes. In the midst of any anxiety we might have about change, we hear the strong voice of Jesus to us disciples, “Don’t be afraid,” and “I am with you always.”
11/01/2020
Today is All Saints Day. On the church calendar of some denominations each Sunday remembers one of the earlier saints. All Saints Day celebrates all the saints past and present. In the New Testament the term “saints” is literally the holy ones.” It is used for all Christians even those who may not seem so saintly. Some denominations have used the term ”saints” for current members of the church. It may sound strange in the ears of those who are used to the term to refer to great leaders of faith like Peter or Paul, but it is correct in New Testament terminology. You and I are saints if we are followers of Jesus. It is our title by grace and not by achievement. So All Saints celebrates all the saints through the ages. That term includes all the “famous” saints of the early church but also all those who have died in the faith. So we remember beloved family members and friends who have gone to be with the Lord. We speak the names of those who have passed away in the previous year and honor their faith. We remember our fore mothers and fore fathers. We can also celebrate the living saints around and among us. We are not all perfect nor were the ones who came before us. We are the people of God, the saints; by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a day to celebrate all the saints.
10/25/2020
Do you suppose that the candy making industry is going to take an economic loss this Halloween? So many communities have cancelled trick or treat times. The suggestion has even been made to cancel the “trunk or treat” events that many churches and other groups have sponsored in the past. I am sure there will be some disappointed youngsters with empty buckets this Halloween. Adults will not have the children’s spooky buckets to raid for chocolate. My children and grandchildren have always loved the Halloween parties and dressing up in costume. It was all in good fun with nothing horrific or evil in mind. My niece was actually born on October 31. Her father called his “little spook” in her early years, but her sweet and gentle nature always gave a lie to the nickname. Scary things can be a lot of fun if they are not real. Watching Godzilla stamp on Tokyo was always more silly than scary. The real frightening things are to be found in war and persecution. The evil that we can do to each other is far more horrific than any scary movie. Children dressed in costumes and filling their buckets with candy may distress moms and dentists, but a good brushing of their teeth solves the problem. Hate, anger and prejudice are not cured so easily. But, like the pretend monsters, the real monsters cannot stand in the light. To quote the Gospel of John, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can’t put it out.” Jesus, the light of the world shines out through his gospel to light the dark corners of our society and brings light to our souls. We do not have to be afraid of the darkness because the light is always inside us. In our own smaller way we also are the light of the world and the Jesus light shines out from us
10/18/2020
Recently I was sent by my family practice physician to a new doctor for a more specialized treatment. So I have spent some time filling out a detailed medical history. It gives me confidence when, as a new patient, the doctor does a comprehensive medical history. I know that she/he is taking my whole situation into consideration. The medical history is important. In similar fashion our personal history also matters. An early trauma in our lives can shape our attitudes for a lifetime. It is also true that early examples of loving support can be effective for our whole life time. Not only early events but later ones continue to affect the trajectory of our lives. We are always building a history. We are always unfinished. Our stories are unending. Theologians have often said that the Christian God operates in history. It is certain that many of us can offer testimony to how God has worked in our history. Her story and his story are also a part of His story. We interact with each other and God so that we not only have our individual history but we also have a history together as the people of God. So, we still tell each other the biblical stories, not just out of religious habit, but because they are part of our history as the people of God. All the way from Adam and Eve, through Abraham and Sarah, through the people of Israel, through Jesus and the Early church through the story of the church through the last 2000 years, we share the history of the faith. It is our history, our story and it matters. It is even more comprehensive than our medical history. It is the context for our spiritual health and shapes the continuing story of our relationship with God and with each other.