July 19, 2017 So much of life focuses on big events and milestones – graduations, job promotions, marriage and birth of children. Sometimes years of preparation and anticipation precede these wonderful accomplishments. I have been thinking about little things that have big impact. At the time, they might seem small and routine, but when we […]
July 12, 2017 This part of Planet Earth is enjoying the time of year when we see the sunrise nearly every morning. During much of the year, we have clouds and rain – sometimes we go for days without seeing the sun. I was thinking about how much I enjoy seeing the sun each morning. […]
July 5, 2017 I watched a beautiful bird as it ate from the feeder. After an enthusiastic effort pecking at the food, it flew away. I thought, “Creator God is aware of that bird. Jesus said that God knows when even a sparrow falls to the ground.” Minutes later I read in Time Magazine about […]
June 29, 2017 I was a young child when a pastor visited our Sunday school. We watched as he lifted a glass of water to his lips and drank all of it. Then he said, “Water – the strongest drink in the world – it holds up battleships.” Over time, I learned the significance of […]
June 21, 2017 We have a low-maintenance yard with no lawn. It is not difficult to keep it looking nice, which means it is also easy for me to neglect the grooming it needs. Not long ago, during a rainy period, the dry days did not correspond to my days off work. I was amazed […]
June 14, 2017 While working in the garage, I was distracted by looking out the window at a tree across the street. Admiring its size and beauty, I thought about how it enhanced the house it stood in front of. It was one that remained after a number of others were taken down because of […]
June 7, 2017 On this day 103 years ago, my mother was born in a sod house in northwest Nebraska. Early in life, her family moved to Colorado, where she spent the rest of her years. At age 19, she married my father and became the mother of five children. Mother completed only eight years […]
May 31, 2017 Where would the church be without volunteers? I look at a typical week on the church calendar and find myself gratefully amazed at the time commitment of our volunteer staff. It would be difficult to add up the hours, but the number is very large. The journey begins as you enter the […]
May 24, 2017 Memorial Day in the United States honors the men and women who have died in military service. Earlier, the event was called “Decoration Day” because people placed flowers on gravesites. In national cemeteries, it is typical to see a small American flag at each grave. Saying goodbye is difficult when death takes […]
May 17, 2017 This year I am enjoying THE ONE YEAR BOOK OF HYMNS. Each day features one song and gives a brief history of how it came to be written. I enjoy reading the background of some that I have known since childhood, as well as learning about new ones. Yesterday, the feature was […]
May 11, 2017 The most recent TIME magazine has a story, “The Last Act,” about the final performances of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. After 146 years, the last show will be later this month. The article acknowledges that some of the reason for closing the show is the result of pressure […]
May 3, 2017 The story is told about a young man who at age 18 left home to do life on his own. He was rather open about the fact that he felt his parents did not know a lot about life, so he would figure out how to do it better without them. After […]
June 3, 2020 It was perhaps 18 years ago that a couple of people suggested I should write a weekly blog. I did not know what a “blog” was, but Ponder with Pastor Bill came out of that idea. It has been good for me to have this opportunity, and I hope it has been…
May 20, 2020 It feels strange, almost wrong, for me to ask this question: How could the Creator and Controller of the universe be held in captivity by it? I hope I am not dabbling in something inappropriate, but this has been on my mind. The confinement of lockdown is a familiar situation for all…
May 13, 2020 Creator God gives us a statement of beauty and hope when He puts a silver lining around a dark cloud in the sky. He reminds us that the darkness is temporary and there is something more powerful than the cloud. It feels like our lives, our community and our world have a…
Meditación con el pastor Bill 6 de mayo de 2020 Sentado en mi silla de tratamiento esta semana frente a una ventana que me daba una vista para el Monte St. Helens, cubierto de nieve sobre un fondo azul cielo. Era una escena magnífica, y tuve mucho tiempo para disfrutarla y reflexionar sobre el significado…
May 6, 2020 My treatment chair this week faced a window that provided a frame for Mount St. Helens, covered with snow against a sky-blue background. It was a magnificent scene, and I had plenty of time to enjoy it and ponder the significance of that mountain. Prior to 1980, I called it “Mount Chrome…