(a Steve Orr Bible reflection)   The first thing I was taught when learning to juggle: Start with “balls” that don’t bounce.   That's how real jugglers start out. Long before they juggle complicated things—like pins or chainsaws—they must first learn the craft. They start small, with two or three balls. Preferably, those “balls” are actually small stuffed bags that don't bounce away when they—inevitably—fall to the ground.    Most people can learn to juggle three small, same-

C.S. Lewis wrote a short story called “The Man Born Blind,” which was published in 1977, by that title. It was an early draft of a version later called simply “Light,” and both versions were studied by Charlie W. Starr in his book “ Light, C.S. Lewis’s First and Final Short Story .”    In the story, the man born blind continually hears references to something called “light,” but is left wondering and confused about what it is. He has an operation that restores his eyesight an

(a Steve Orr Bible reflection)   " The world had teeth and it could bite you with them anytime it wanted ."   The quote is from  The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon,  one of my favorite novels. I highly recommend it to anyone who has children or who loves baseball, or anyone who loves  Stand by Me  or  Shawshank Redemption  (by the same author), or who loves an excellently written suspense tale.   Or who loves God.   Early in the novel, 9-year-old Trisha becomes lost. A wrong turn

The prefix  re-  tells us that something has happened again, or that it has returned. There has been a return to an original condition. It appears in hundreds of our words, including revival, meaning something was once alive and vivid has become alive again.   When it occurs in renewal, we can guess that something has happened to make something new again and when we die that it is exactly what happens.    Nicodemus was confused when Jesus told him he had to be “born again,” t

(a Steve Orr Bible reflection)   Santa Claus is not part of Christmas—in Italy.    Instead, children look forward to the visitation of the three kings: the Magi, the Three Wise Men. Children try to keep awake to catch a glimpse of these Three Royal Visitors. They listen for the cadence of their song in the distance, the sound of camels’ hooves crushing the frozen snow, and the tinkling of silver bridles. Children send toy requests to them, and, anticipating their arrival, lea

Did you have a good sleep? I have been asked that many times. It wouldn’t be a good one if I didn’t wake up. Or could it be good? One of the most powerful metaphors for a Christian’s death occurs in the 11 th  chapter of the book of John in the Bible. We read that Jesus said to the disciples: “ Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I will go and wake him up. However, the disciples thought that he meant “natural sleep” so Jesus told them plainly “Lazarus is dead.” Job was

(a Steve Orr Bible reflection)   Have you ever gone to the well and found it empty? The well of thoughts, that is. For some of us, reaching into our thoughts for small talk at social gatherings produces … exactly nothing. Public speakers, poets, songwriters—lots of us—go to that well and come away empty.    An empty well is one of the reasons I fell in love with the rock/jazz fusion band  Chicago . The first time I heard the group, they were performing “25 or 6 to 4. ”  * I w

Blame it on Eva Ann Cunningham: She told me I should preach at Ridgecrest. I've only given one sermon in my life---at a women's retreat several years ago, and it was preached through tears. However, Eva Ann's invitation as well as the low bar set by the audience sparked something. So, the Edwards Five joined the Ridgecrest team last Sunday, and it was beautiful. Singing with Sarah leading and Dave playing.... Scriptures read and prayers offered. About 25 folks eventually join

(a Steve Orr Bible Reflection for Epiphany)   This year, the Eleventh Day of Christmas falls on Sunday, January 4th. At our church, it’s going to share the day with Epiphany Sunday. Can you imagine it? Those eleven pipers piping as they march down the aisle of the church?    That’s probably not happening.   But we need to pour that kind of excitement into our Epiphany Sunday. Christmas celebrates the day Jesus came to the people of Israel. Epiphany (sometimes called Three Kin

My Waco family taught me (or at least tried to) a new game over Thanksgiving called “Poetry for Neanderthals”. It is advertised as “a fun word game with the typical humor of Exploding Kittens.” I didn’t like the idea of kittens being blown up, but I was taking the phrase much too literally. I learned that Exploding Kittens is “a kitty-powered card game […] that functions like a version of Russian Roulette, where the goal is to avoid drawing an Exploding Kitten card.” It sound