With the season of Lent beginning in a just a week and a half, my calendar for Wednesday, February 18 is marked "Ash Wednesday." It is on this particular day that much of the Christian world sets aside a time to receive ashes. It is on this particular day that the themes of repentance are brought to the forefront of Christian minds. The tradition of ashes going back into the ancient times when people would wear sackcloth and places ashes on their forehead as a sign of mourning. But while there is an appropriate time and place for mourning and grieving, Scripture reminds us that there is a time that comes when we are graced with an exchange - His beauty,

A man may be of value to another man, not because he wishes to be important, not because he possesses some inner wealth of soul, nor because of something he is, but because of what he is - not. His importance may consist in his poverty, in his hopes and fears, in his waiting and hurrying, in the direction of his whole being toward what lies beyond his horizon and beyond his power. The importance of being an apostle is negative rather than positive. In him a void becomes visible. And for this reason he is something to others: he is able to share grace with them, to focus their attention, and to establish them in waiting and in adoration.

It's a new year and with a new year, come new resolutions - whether a goal to lose weight, spend more time with family, become a better soccer player, or to win a championship - all sorts of things make our initial list to try and "resolve." For the Colorado Rapids, they have some new year resolutions on the field and off the field. And, even for this Rev, there are a few "resolutions" that I have been considering myself. To be honest, though, I am not a big believer in making annual resolutions - unless they have some "SMART"-ness to them; SMART standing for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. New Year, New Resolutions Out of Control? Of course, sometimes we

As a chaplain and minister, much of how I see and understand the world relates to Divine Providence, sometimes known in theological circles as the sovereignty of God. It happens when someone loses their job, only to find a better one some time later. It happens when a player is out of contract, but ends up discovering an opportunity that otherwise would not have been open to them. It can occur when one substitution on the pitch provides the game-winning goal or assist. The sovereignty of God has long been the subject of debate (amongst Christians) - not so much whether God is sovereign, but to what extent does His sovereignty extend into the affairs of humankind? Divine Providence or Human

We discover the shepherds of Advent in Luke 2:8-20. You will recall that Advent has to do with waiting; Advent has to do with living in expectancy. And, as the shepherds of Advent journey to the creche at Christmas their hearts are filled with awe and wonder. The shepherd's story has long captured the imagination of many throughout the years - whether in church Christmas plays and dramas with young kids hitting each other with paper staffs or in the professionally-made films and productions with robed and burly-looking men playing the part. Who were these men, these boys (perhaps), who were visited by an angelic messenger, serenaded by a host of angels, and sent on their way to discover a baby in a