What is that dim red light shining through the window of that country church? Is it an exit sign? Did someone leave a light on? More likely than not, it is the eternal flame. The eternal flame (also known as sanctuary lamp, altar lamp, everlasting flame, or chancel lamp) is a candle or lamp, usually […]
Author Archives: Ruth E. Hetland
S is for Sacristy
A sacristy, also known as a vestry, is the room where vestments, paraments, and other items used for worship are kept. Oftentimes, the sacristy is right off the sanctuary or it can be in another part of the church. At times, the sacristy is where pastors will keep their albs and chasubles and prepare for […]
Choices – a sermon from 10/14/18
Remember the old joke about the psychiatrist who asked her patient if he has trouble making decisions? The patient said, “yes and no.” I was visiting with a wise person and I asked her, “What is the secret of your success?” She said, “Two words: right decisions.” So I said, “how do you make the […]
Joy Matters – sermon from 5/13/18
Rob Bell, a well-known pastor, author, and speaker tells a story about a time he was sitting in a meeting at the church where he was a pastor. It was a huge church and this was the meeting where the various leaders of the different departments of the church came together to discuss the running […]
Listen to Your Life
If there is anything better than a walk in the quiet woods on a warm spring morning, the scent of apple blossoms in the air, and listening to The Samples on my headphones, I do not know what that would be. I haven’t listened to The Samples for a while – but since about 1991 […]
Prayer as Ruthless Honesty
It’s a lovely time of year to live in Minnesota. The weather is finally warm enough to be outside, the leaves are coming back on the trees, the school year is winding down and all the activity of summer is dawning. The fields that stretch behind my house are free of snow and the corn […]
Simplifying: not always so simple
Last night, at the end of a long day, I went downstairs to confront the sorting of piles once again. In the traditional Christian story of the Creation, God separated the light from the dark to create day and night. In my current story, I separate pictures from the letters from the notebooks from the […]
Rejoicing in Repurposing
I’ve mentioned in earlier posts how a significant portion of the items I have been releasing into the care of others have been china, dishes, glassware, serving dishes, and vases that I never used. I have two china cabinets – one was my mother’s and the other was a far more beautiful china cabinet that […]
Words are Heavy
Without a doubt, the most difficult task in my de-cluttering is the boxes of papers, pictures, and letters. Seriously, there are about five large, heavy tubs at least. Eventually, I want to scan many of the pictures, so they are staying for now – but I’m sifting through the papers and seeing what I still […]
De-cluttering – With a Twist
Sometimes the slightest pivot in circumstance puts things in a whole new light. Last week, I was happily de-cluttering my house with fervor. It was fun and satisfying to fill up another bag or box with items that were mostly just taking up space. I enjoyed pondering why I kept all these things so long […]
