From The Deacon's Bench

 I have started several posts to this blog over the last few days and was not pleased with the direction they were taking so it was "Off with their heads"... electronically that is. So I started to look at some of my past "From The Deacon's Bench" articles.  The one from December 2015 caught my eye and I realized that in the midst of the Covid19 pandemic, when things are not normal, perhaps a return to the past might be in order.  So here is the Flashback: Gifts As I sit to write this, it is the eve of “Cyber Monday”, this has closely followed “Black Friday” and the yet to be named “Get it before its Gone Saturday” and “Forget Church…SHOP IT Sunday”.   I know things in the world change, and I have to admit that as I age, I tend to be less welcoming of some changes, but that is not the reason that I am concerned about this particular change.   I grew up in an extended family that was very large.   My Mom had five brothers and six sisters, and I can’t even cou

As I write this, our world is in the throes of a devastating medical emergency.  The number of deaths and hospitalizations are straining the health care systems and economies of our nation and nations all around the globe.  There is much finger pointing, there are individuals and groups of people who believe this is a hoax and others who point to the statistics and testimonies of health care workers to say that this is indeed real.  Unless you are living a solidary life on a remote island, I challenge you to say that you don't know of someone who has died from a Covid-19 related illness.  In addition to the Covid-19 crisis, our country is in the midst of an election for local, state and national offices including that of President.  Many folks have strong opinions about various candidates and issues.  That is nothing new, and there is nothing unusual about that.  We have elections every year, it is how our country works.  However, what seems to be different this year is the level o