SALT LAKE CITY The 93-year-old former heart surgeon named Tuesday as the new president of the Mormon Church signaled his intention to make few changes in policy regarding the role of women and LGBT issues — two topics that the faith has grappled with in recent years. Russell M. Nelson’s remarks to reporters after he […]

“For surely I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 Living with Uncertainty Our lives can change for the better or the worse in just the twinkling of an eye. Life is filled with uncertainty. […]

NEWCASTLE Robert Breckenridge, a member of the Second Congregational Church UCC in Newcastle, is heading out on a mission trip. As part of the church’s regular worship service Sunday, Jan. 14, congregants and invited guests took part in a special “Service of Commissioning” for him as he embarks on his missionary work in Zambia, Africa. […]

When my 18-year-old son recently had his wisdom teeth removed, I joked that this was his rite of passage. “Some people fast on mountains or get covered in fire ants,” I said, recalling documentaries I’ve seen about how other cultures initiate adolescents into the world of adults. “We take out wisdom teeth.” For most in […]

“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am among them.” Matthew 18:20 Sharing the Love Oh how we tend to take for granted the amenities of life! Central Maine Power Company tells us to “Just flip a switch and we’ll be there.” We raise the thermostat and the furnace kicks on, […]

The Conversation The popular view of California is of a liberal, godless region, a land of possibilities that is open to experimentation in all things. As novelist Wallace Stegner wrote in 1967, the California motto is: “Why not? It might work.” This is true even in an otherwise conventional field as religion, with perhaps the […]

EDGECOMB The Super Bowl is presenting a fundraising opportunity for the Edgecomb Community Church, which will conduct a sub sale on Sunday, Feb. 4. Church members will be taking orders for the winter event that is replacing one of its former summer church suppers. People will have a choice of a white or wheat 8-inch […]

January has not started out easy. First came cleaning up after Christmas. Then came the bitter cold. On top of that, my husband, Dana, has been struggling to move a 4-ton, 24- foot shed. Two years ago, when we bought our house, it was sitting in the dirt beside the driveway, half sunken in mud. […]

“For you have tried us, O God. You have refined us as silver is refined.” Psalm 66:10 Settling In Old Man Winter has us tightly in his grip, with temperatures frolicking around the zero degree mark, and predictions of a giant snowstorm, followed by more bitter cold. With the exception of one bold and beautiful […]