My family’s pew was on the Gospel side (left facing the altar) at the back.  We sat with the Hodge family.  It wasn’t always the case, but more times than not, that was our arrangement.  When I served my first church (where my father was raised and where my grandmother still attends), my grandmother would sit on the back pew on the Epistle side (right facing the altar).  “Granny, why do you sit in the back?” I asked early on.
“Oh, I don’t know.  It’s habit.  When your daddy was young, …

Last night as my wife and I exchanged cars, we smugly notified each other that both cars were running on empty and needed gas.  On my way home from our Wednesday night extravaganza I pulled into the Quality Mart and filled the tank.
Here’s what I noticed. To fill up our suburban sleigh cost $53.98 for just over 21 gallons.  That’s a lot more than we’re used to paying, but those days are long gone I’m afraid.
This is what we expect when we go to the pump.  And with two cars …

Now, my plan today is to preach on the story of widow giving her money to the treasury, but before I do that I want to ask that you not get ahead of me and assume what I am going to say.
I never get nervous when this Gospel reading comes up, because I’m not afraid of the subject, but I do worry if the forest will be missed because of the trees you might think you’re going to see.
I’m aware that two years ago, Iowa senator Charles Grassley started a …