Many people claim that they never hear about a loving, caring God in church. Paul’s letter to Titus reveals God’s motive for initiating our salvation—kindness and generous love.

Who are the future leaders in your community? Invite those younger than 20 to stand in your assembly. These children and teenagers are the hope of the future. They may not seem like leaders at the moment, with roving eyes, poor posture, questionable taste in fashion, and a universal reluctance to be scrutinized by grown-ups.

Bestselling author and journalist Alex Kotlowitz wrote a book about my southwest Michigan town more than 20 years ago. Called The Other Side of the River: A Story of Two Towns, a Death, and America's Dilemma, it tells of the racial divide of my small community, which is also split by the St. Joseph River.

A friend shared this story with me: “I had really goofed up.  I had hurt my wife badly. She was angry at me, but mostly hurt. And I knew it. There was nothing I could do to undo what I had done.

As we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus when God poured down the Holy Spirit, we ask that God bless us with the grace of rebirth and renewal.

When Israel crossed the Red Sea, the angels were about to break forth in song, but the Holy One rebuked them, “My children are drowning, and you would sing?”