Twelve years ago I received a phone call from my District Superintendent. It was totally unexpected. We were told that the bishop and cabinet would be appointing us to Madison: First United Methodist Church. My first reaction was “Why?” We had gone to Green Bay six years earlier with ...

I love watching our nine-month old, Selah, explore her surroundings. In the midst of her bumbling from one object to the next, she greets each new item with fascination. Living near Olbrich gardens, we treasure the frequent walks we take there. Recently, our walks take on a slower pace, as it ...

Standing in the lengthening shadows of a winter afternoon in Washington, D.C., instead of falling prey to the chilly temperature, I was captured by the beauty of the new Martin Luther King, Jr., memorial. As the tallest monument to an individual among the many in D.C., King’s towering ...

Thinking back over this past year brings up memories of all the wonderful folks at First Church who have helped with our many Outreach activities. Without your help these programs could not have succeeded. Finding adequate words to express my gratitude and appreciation is difficult. As I think ...

It will be different this Christmas. My father-in-law will be spending Christmas in a nursing home unable to fully communicate and limited to bed and chair, but we have reason for hope – little signs of improvement; little miracles, to be sure. Make no mistake, God is present. In a few ...

On the last New Member Sunday, the Information Desk volunteer came to me saying a person who had attended worship was asking about the availability of a Bible. I ran up to my office and retrieved one off my bookshelf. The person requesting it explained how he had grown up in First Church and his ...

I’m currently rehearsing Handel’s Messiah for an upcoming performance with the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. As many times as I have rehearsed this work, I’m still in awe of the magic and power of the music and the text. Certainly the most famous chorus is the “Hallelujah ...

Last week I had the privilege of visiting the 9/11 Memorial site in New York City. It is stunningly beautiful in its grace and simplicity. It consists of two pools of cascading waterfalls, bordered by granite walls on which are carved the names of those who perished on that fateful day. As I ...

Our little girl, Selah, just turned three months old. It seems like every day she hits a new milestone, holding her head up a moment longer, babbling a new syllable, outgrowing another onesie. Like many new parents, we find ourselves thrilled by her growth, while wanting to stop time, and keep her ...

“Who was Jesus, anyway?” When I was a child my answers to that question shaped a character who might best be described as a superhero: a wondrous birth, a childhood so perfect there was barely anything to write about, miraculous actions like turning water into wine, walking on water, ...