Have you ever heard of the Jefferson Bible? This was something that Thomas Jefferson put together in 1820. Jefferson had a deep respect for the moral teachings of Jesus. He admired the ethics, the wisdom, and the call to love your neighbor. But that is where he drew the line. Anything that pointed to the supernatural, anything that could not be explained by reason alone, he would not accept. So, with a razor in his hand, he went through the Gospels and cut out every mirac

I am a big fan of Mitch Albom. He is the author of several notable books, including “Tuesdays with Morrie.” I recently read best-seller, “The Time Keeper.” Early in the book he made this observation: “Try to imagine a life without timekeeping. You probably can’t. You know the month, the year, the day of the week. There is a clock on your wall or the dashboard of your car. You have a schedule, a calendar, a time for dinner or a movie. “Yet all around you, timekeeping is i

I recently spent a couple of weeks on a small group tour of Vietnam. In my sermon on Sunday, I told our congregation about an experience I had in Hanoi one day. I had left our group to do some exploring on my own to see a few things that were not on our itinerary. I wanted to see St. Joseph Church, a beautiful Catholic Cathedral that was built in 1886. I also wanted to see Huu Tiep Lake where parts of the wreckage from a B-52 shot down during the Vietnam War remain as a his

For me, travel involves more than sightseeing. It is learning about history and learning about myself. I recently visited Vietnam. I experienced beautiful scenery, vibrant cities, and delicious food, but also some spiritual lessons that spoke to my heart. Vietnam is a country that has deep layers of history. We saw ancient temples and tombs. The Citadel in Hue was especially impressive. We visited a rice farm and saw water buffalo. We went to museums and memorials that are

I recently joined a two-week small group tour of Vietnam. Vietnam is a beautiful country of 102 million people. The people were so welcoming and friendly. The food was superb and the scenery was remarkable. The coffee was excellent, especially with some kinds of coffee I had never heard of, including egg coffee and salt coffee. It doesn’t sound good, but trust me, it was. The most challenging part the trip for me was crossing the streets in the large cities of Hano