A couple of weeks ago, Jill and I went to Austin to visit our daughter and son-in-law. We had such a good time with them, and to be honest, we didn’t really do a whole lot except spend time with them relaxing and enjoying catching up on everything happening in our lives. I think part of what made it so relaxing and fun is their house. Up until a couple of years ago, they owned a very…
Posted by dwhetter |
How do you know who to listen to these days? I mean seriously, there are so many voices out there trying to get our attention it is almost impossible to know who is the right person, group, movement, etc. to listen to. For parents it can be exceptionally hard to get your children to listen to you when so many others are offering different information. When our kids were young, we developed…
Dear Salem Family,
I love food. Many of you know I love food. I love to cook, dine out, share a meal, experiment with new recipes, I love food. But, I think what I love most about food is that it brings people together. Whether it’s two people sharing a meal or a huge party, food brings people together. These last couple of weeks, I was reminded multiple times about how much I…
Posted by dwhetter |
A couple of months ago, Jill and I were out to dinner with our kids and grandkids. It was a weeknight and we were at a local bar and grill. The restaurant is very family friendly and one which our grand kids love because it has all kinds of activities do while you are there. Oversized games like “Connect the Dots” can keep them busy while the adults chat and relax. On this particular…
Prior to Easter, Kari, Maren, and I joined my sister and her family to take our annual trip together. We started doing these trips about six years ago to spend quality time together with my sisters family and explore the USA and beyond. This year we headed to Vegas and then drove through the Mojave desert picking up Route 66 to Los Angeles. We then headed up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Francisco…
Posted by hlewis |
We have something at Salem that is fairly unique in a church setting. In case you haven’t noticed, kids are not only involved in Sunday school and youth group, but they are an integral part of our worship services. On any given Sunday, kids are greeting, ushering, running screens, helping in the nursery and leading worship. Holy Week was a good example: kids of all ages paraded into the…
Posted by dwhetter |
I often try to imagine what it must have been like to witness that first Easter morning at the tomb. When I was in Jerusalem a couple of years ago and we sat in the area that many believe was the place of the tomb, I imagined what it might have been like to be sitting out of sight but watching what happened. Imagine it’s dark and the sun is just about to rise. You can see that red glow…
Posted by dwhetter |
Maundy Thursday is a day we come together to hear God tell us to do two things; remember and remember. In our story from Exodus, God was ready to free his people and he commanded them to prepare a feast to celebrate their freedom and then to do this every year, so that they would remember. Every time they had this feast they were to remember that it is God who offers them true freedom. To…
These past couple of weeks have been very difficult for me emotionally. As most of you know, I have a sister who was diagnosed with breast cancer 15 months ago (after being cancer-free for more than five years), and then just as she was finishing her treatments and recovering from surgery, two months ago, my mother was diagnosed with liver cancer. Just two weeks ago, my mother had 45% of…
Posted by dwhetter |
Here we are, the final week of Lent. In the church we call this Holy Week and it begins today with Palm Sunday. What an odd day, though! We began our time of worship with a celebration, but then the story quickly changes to one of betrayal, pain, grief and sorrow as we read the story of Jesus final days before his crucifixion. Many look at this day and week and think of it as a depressing…