Now that 2010 is three months old, the hope and expectation that greeted the arrival of a New Year have begun to fade. Many New Year’s resolutions have been broken. As the year progressed, many people began to face traumas caused the death of a loved one, a severe illness or hospitalization, a job loss, or a divorce.

As we approach the Third Sunday in Lent, we are going to be digging into a topic that is on all of our minds—the economy. What went wrong? Who (or What) is to blame for the current mess? What is a Christian perspective on this massive, complicated, finicky thing that plays such a huge role in our lives?

Lent is upon us. It is a season for reflection, repentance, and renewal. It is a time to think about life and faith and God.

Lent is coming.  On Ash Wednesday, February 17, FAPC will have two services (one beginning at 12:30 p.m. and one at 6:00 p.m.) marking the start of this holy season.  We will be offering ashes to those who desire them.

This past Wednesday, I asked my barber, a quiet Italian guy at this classic, red-and-white twisty pole, barbershop on Lexington, what he thought about stress.  “Peter, what gives people stress?”  After a few more snips, he responded, “Too much work, and not enough work.”  I thought that was a pretty good answer.

Are you happy?  What makes you happy?  Is feeling happy the most important thing a person can feel?  This past week, I have been thinking about happiness.  I have been carrying around two books on the subject.  The first is The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia.  Haidt traces our understanding of happiness through different cultures and down through human history.  It is a complicated and fascinating journey.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) recently announced that it has approved a $200,000 grant to Hôspital Sainte Croix (Holy Cross Hospital) and an affiliated nursing school in Léogâne, Haiti.

Why did Christ die on the cross?”; personal questions.

It is with a heavy heart that I offer the following prayer for Haiti:

This Sunday is Baptism of the Lord Sunday.  It is not your most well-known Sunday, but it’s a good one.  It is the Sunday when we transport ourselves to the Jordan River and plunk ourselves down on its banks to watch Jesus get baptized by his fiery-tongued cousin, John.  It’s a dramatic moment when Jesus goes down by the river to pray.