Rev. Ethan Brown, Pastor and Minister of Care & Discipleship

The ‘Iwa bird, or the Great Frigatebird is a common sight along Pacific island coasts. Those of you who have visited the Hawaiian islands are probably familiar with their distinctive ‘V’-shaped tails soaring high overhead. ‘Iwa birds are known for soaring way in the sky for days or weeks at a time giving them the literal bird’s eye view as they search for the dark shape of fish in the waters below. Yet these birds nest and eat close to the ground in the company of other birds, deep in the...

It was 1870 at Big Bend Tunnel when the drama unfolded. The expansion of the railroad would not, could not be stopped, connecting the whole country across plains and rivers and mountains that divide. Yet the times they were a changin’ and what used to be accomplished by the power of the human spirit was being given to the steam driven machine. So in West Virginia, the mettle of a man was tested against a steel drill. John Henry was a steel-driving man swinging 20 pound hammers against a bit...

There is a monster in my son’s closet. Basil has been convinced of this for many weeks. I tried to assure him that there was no monster, but that was clearly a lie. I tried to comfort him with the presence of his hoard of stuffies that surround him at night, but alas they too are scared of the monster. I tried to add extra night lights, and while helpful, they only reminded him of the darkness that waited in the silence of the closet. This dark corner of his room reared its monstrous head...