The Annotated Andy

A few weeks ago, I woke up at 5:00 a.m. to the sound of a man singing in Arabic. The sound was the morning call to prayer coming from a loud speaker at one of the mosques near our hotel in Bethlehem, Palestine. I’m used to the sounds of church bells and chimes, but the sound of the Muslim call to prayer was new and strange to me.

In November, my spouse Kristin and I spent eight days visiting people and places in Israel and Palestine. Over and over again, the people and stories, sights and sounds challenged and stretched my heart and understanding of the world. I saw first-hand that newness and strangeness can carry hidden blessings.

Easter Mischief

By Andy Twiton

On August 23, 2016

In Poetry

I’m keeping a list of Easter Mischief.
It’s growing every day.

I’m to start in the cemetery in the dead of night,
Swapping stories with a crowd of caskets
Before hugging the dirt above Grandma’s grave.

Then, Mischief has told me to loose my grudges
Like a herd of cows skipping out to pasture,
To lay down my cares like a purring kitten.

Before long, I’m to meet the little ones and the weak.
We’re making paper chains to replace the prison bars
And macaroni art for every permanent record.

How Can I Keep From Singing?

By Andy Twiton

On August 3, 2016

In Published Columns

When I was growing up, I remember my dad singing a song to me before bed: “Jesus, tender shepherd, hear me. Bless your little lambs tonight…” My grandma sang this lullaby to my dad when he was a child, and my great-grandpa sang it to her before that. And when my great-grandpa was dying, my grandma sang this song by his bedside. Singing this song has become a family tradition for us.

Greatness is not Goodness

By Andy Twiton

On May 20, 2016

In Poetry

Greatness is not goodness.

The pyramids are a wonder of the world,
But one can only imagine the brick by brick
Brutality born on the backs of people
Who did not belong to themselves.

Greatness is not goodness.

We’ve joined God in the heavens,
And gawked at the Great Wall of China from above.
Our walls go up. Then come tumbling down.
But God, God’s eye is on the sparrow.

Peace Be With You

By Andy Twiton

On February 3, 2016

In Published Columns

Is there a place in your life where you can find peace? If you’re like me, you find it easy to get pulled into the busyness, noise, and stress of life. I have a sense that many of us are yearning for peace in our hearts and lives. There are the everyday stresses of work and family. There’s the information overload that comes through our televisions, computers, and smart phones. Then, there are the extraordinary stressors like disease, job loss, grief, war, and financial strain. When was the last time you experienced peace?

Moments of Joy

By Andy Twiton

On August 14, 2015

In Published Columns

Back in July, members of Orfordville Lutheran got together for a family fun event to play bocce ball, swim in the pool, laugh together, and, of course, to eat food. It was one of my favorite moments of the summer. Summer can be a time for friends, families, and communities to have fun and laugh together. I wonder, where have you seen God in your moments joy and laughter?

Words of Blessing

By Andy Twiton

On August 6, 2015

In Published Columns

When did you last receive a word of blessing? When did you last give one? As a new pastor, I am often asked to offer words of blessing over food or an event or a person. A few weekends ago, for example, I said a prayer of blessing for a couple at their wedding. I asked for God to bless them and their new life together. More frequently, at the end of every Sunday worship service, I say the ancient words from Numbers 6:24-26: “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord’s face shine on you with grace and mercy. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.” It’s a privilege to proclaim God’s blessing.

Building Community Across Generations

By Andy Twiton

On February 25, 2015

In Published Columns

Relationships across different generations are important in the church and in our communities. Increasingly, however, it seems like there are fewer opportunities for people of different ages to spend time together. Our communities can become segregated by age when our kids are in school and our elderly are in retirement communities or health care facilities. We may even develop harmful stereotypes about different age groups like teenagers or older adults. We know though that these relationships are meaningful, and I wonder how we can foster connections between people.

Remember that We are Dust

By Andy Twiton

On February 18, 2015

In Published Columns

Wednesday, February 18^th is Ash Wednesday for many Christians around the world, so you may see people walking around with black crosses drawn on their foreheads. It’s a day when we remember that we are dust and to dust we shall return.

In one of the great ironies of our church year, we always read from Matthew 6 on Ash Wednesday where Jesus admonishes us: “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them.” Maybe it seems a bit hypocritical that we piously and somberly wear black crosses on our forehead as a public sign on the same day Jesus tells us not be show offs about our faith.

Prayer and Community

By Andy Twiton

On February 11, 2015

In Published Columns

In my experience, there’s more interest and curiosity about prayer than there are about other aspects of the life of faith. Compared to mysterious rituals or seemingly dusty dogmas, maybe it’s that prayer feels more accessible or personal. Maybe it’s that we all have moments where we just want to cry out at someone or say thank you to something bigger than ourselves.

Furthermore, prayer is an act that’s clearly not unique to the Christian faith. People of different religions from all over the world share this behavior of prayer, even if we direct our prayers to different deities. Even if we have other differences of understanding, Jews, Muslims, and Christians all pray to the God of Abraham. And for the people in our culture who identify as spiritual-but-not-religious, prayer may have special appeal.