May 29-Acts 17:22-31-This remarkable vignette has Paul trying to speak to the sophisticated Athenians through their culture. Paul isn't entirely successful, but some are willing to hear more, and some come to the Christian faith. this strikes me as out task all the time. How do we speak the basic elements of the faith in language, and even style, that can get through to people? Another way to work with this is to ask yourself how you would try to explain something to a child, or if you were a missionary in a different culture.

Memorial Day-Joshua 24-Memorials can be made of many things, but the ones of stone are meant to last. We have all seen too many stone memorials of too many dead from too many wars. Most towns have a WWII memorial, and now we have a large one in the nation's capital.Cemeteries are fields of memorials. Living memorials, such as scholarship endowments, are a wonderful way to honor  memory. When the people of Israel's tribes gathered in a solemn ceremony, Joshua set up a stone to mark the occasion to give a lasting symbol of memory. On this memorial day, what are particularly effective memorials in your view?

May 31-Artwork available on the web-Susie does a great job in finding pictures to complement the theme of children's worship. One of the benefits of the web is instant access to all sorts of great art. As a spiritual exercise click on google images and pick a biblical scene. Then examine 3 painting/pictures that strike you and study them closely for a bit. What attracts you/ what takes you aback? If you did the painting, what would you emphasize? How do the artworks give you to angles to consider o bit of Scripture?

Wednesday-I have a small project for the Reformed Roundtable, a theology group chaired by our presbytery's own Mark Strothmann. I am comparing Calvin's look at some passages in Mark to a book written by the late, lamented William Placher. He is a sharp and careful reader of Scripture and quick ot note rough spots. I would encourage you to read Scripture with care every day, but not as a holy object, too sacred to be a source of questions. Work with it, question it, turn it it the light in different ways. the Spirit will uncover new riches with you.

Thursday-Mk4:35-41- The small boat was an early Christian symbol, a little ark perhaps. In this passage, the boat is in the midst of a terrible storm,but Jesus is asleep in the back, like Jonah in the old story. Like us, the disciples ask if Jesus does not care that they are in danger of perishing. Jesus gets up and tells the storm Peace. Be still. I leave it to your imagination to hear how Jesus sounded and looked when he quieted the waves. Consider using it as a mantra of sorts:peace, be still. let the words echo within.

Friday-Frustration dogs us all. It may be particularly difficult for active, energetic people who want to see more than progress, but something finished or settled. One way to handle it is to watch that our expectations don't outrun reality, especially the reality of delay. Frustration emerges from our desire to be in control, at times. it can also come up when we have a hard time accepting and dealing with our own limits. Sometimes, we are just too hard on ourselves. We learn from successes as well as failures.

Saturday-Spiritual practice of review can be really valuable. Some people do a review at the end of the day with the good and bad. I know one woman who uses a ritual of filling a bowl with water in the morning and emptying it with the cares of the day. I just heard a spiritually adept person say that she goes through the blessings of the day before retiring. That helps settle her for sleep. In some way, our confession in Sunday worship pushes us toward a weekly life review. When you run into good memories, know God celebrates with you. When you run into difficult ones, know that you are forgiven.