Tag: Ice

A Meditative Prayer Using a Poem by Amanda Gorman.

I presented this poem with a short prolog describing the thoughts it inspired within me for our Church’s “Prayer of Invocation” on January 18th, 2026. The poem is entitled “For Renee Nicole Good, Killed by I.C.E. on January 7, 2026.” Amanda Gorman wrote this poem shortly after the events of January 7, 2026 in Minneapolis, MN,

Good morning and welcome home, I am Allen Vander Meulen, your Covenant Leader this morning.

For me, this church and actually all of you, are a place of rest and restoration.  A community of those with whom we gather and find love and support and healing and purpose.

And it is in times like these, times where we see pain and harm, even death, needlessly and deliberately inflicted upon so many in this nation and throughout the world, that we learn why communities like ours are so important.  Communities that welcome all and labor to build respect and love and affirmation and hope, for all.

We worship and work together to prepare ourselves and those whom we love to go out into a hurting and lost world; ministering out-of, and sharing, the Gospel that has been planted within us.

And so, with these thoughts in mind, hear this poem written a few days ago by Amanda Gorman (whom you may remember spoke at Joe Biden’s Inaugural) entitled “For Renee Nicole Good, Killed by I.C.E. on January 7, 2026.”

Continue reading “A Meditative Prayer Using a Poem by Amanda Gorman.”

An Incoherent Bully: thoughts on the GOP, ICE, and Sanctuary Cities

Several Boston media outlets are reporting this morning that Federal immigration officials arrested 50 people in Massachusetts as part of a nationwide sweep focusing on what they called “sanctuary” jurisdictions…

Said one ICE official: “This [is] a concerted effort to target those locations where we don’t get the cooperation from those agencies. We need to put additional resources into these locations to make these arrests.”

In other words, the Federal Government is stooping to bullying those who are acting to protect innocents from the current administration’s cruel and racist immigration policies: hoping to beat such dissenters into submission.

Continue reading “An Incoherent Bully: thoughts on the GOP, ICE, and Sanctuary Cities”

Too Nice for My Own Good

I woke up early this morning to discover a nice white covering on the ground outside our bedroom window: we had some substantial rain that changed to heavy snow late last night. With warming temperatures this morning, I’m concerned that we’ll soon have a thick layer of slush; and my snow blower is not terribly useful in heavy slush!

So, I quickly hopped out of bed, leaving my sleeping sweetheart undisturbed; snug and cozy. Running to the front door, I unlocked it, then opened the storm door while leaving the inner door ajar so that I could get back in. I stepped out on the stoop to see what I had to deal with. I turn around and see the cat at the window: he’s wondering if I’ll let him out. Putting my hand down to the ground, I find that the beautiful whiteness consists of ice and hard snow: not so fun with the snow blower – but better than slush!

I turn around and open the storm door. The inner door has already swung almost shut, but is not latched. Pulling open the storm door causes the air pressure to drop in the space between the two doors: “click!”

Continue reading “Too Nice for My Own Good”