February 2012 Entries
This past week, I watched the televised coverage of the Whitney Houston funeral. Most of us can relate to losing someone before we thought it was their time to go. To my complete surprise, my chair at medical school died suddenly of an intracranial bleed. His funeral was this week as well. The shock and sadness of his passing reminded me once again that the grieving process takes both a physical and emotional toll.
Like so many of you, I was deeply saddened by the death of Whitney Houston. She was an immense talent whose music will live on and continue to inspire and move us. Saturday, she will be laid to rest at New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey, the church that birthed those rich and melodic tones of her voice. Our prayers are with her family during this difficult time.
For the past few weeks, several cities have been challenging their residents to take what is nationally known as the Date Night Challenge. The Date Night Challenge is a not-for-profit venture involving businesses, churches and individuals in a community who come together to encourage married couples to date. The goal is to use date night to strengthen marriages.
The sermon last Sunday was on the 7th chapter of Joshua, a sobering chapter that deals with sin in the Israelite camp. It begins with a sin committed by Achan, one member of the tribe of Judah. When the Israelites took the city of Jericho as recorded in chapter 6, God tells them not to take anything from the siege.