I recently came across an interesting article which was primarily about religious observance in western Europe, but which also compared that region with the United States. Even though this research is four years old, it’s still timely and points out some significant differences between these two geographical areas. First of all, what is meant byContinue reading “Religious Observance in Western Europe and the U.S.”
Author Archives: keithpetersen80
More about Being Thankful vs. Complaining
A year ago, I wrote a post about being thankful vs. complaining. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, as well as preparing for my first sermon ever that weekend, I’ve been thinking about this contrast again. This year, I’d like to look at some examples from Old Testament Israel, especially focusing on the results ofContinue reading “More about Being Thankful vs. Complaining”
Optimism vs. Pessimism
How do you view the future? Do you look ahead with hopefulness and confidence? If so, you are an optimist; if not, you are a pessimist. 47% percent of Americans are either very or somewhat optimistic, while 53% of us are generally, somewhat, or very pessimistic; this is all in relation to the perceived directionContinue reading “Optimism vs. Pessimism”
Changing Halloween Traditions
When I taught ESL (to adults), one of the things I liked to spend at least a few minutes on as they rolled around every year were American holidays. Most holidays are fairly simple to describe and explain, but Halloween is not one of them. I tried a couple of times to look at theContinue reading “Changing Halloween Traditions”
A Tale of Three Churches
I recently had conversations with two brothers from another church in my community about the lockdowns during COVID, specifically regarding church closures in our state (California). This caused me to think more about the responses of their church, my own church, and another church (also in our community) to the lockdown directives. To begin with,Continue reading “A Tale of Three Churches”