Edsalls in Beverly

12/12/2025

Compromise(d)

Compromise is a virtue. It's how colleagues work together, it's how we stay married, how we live successfully in a pluralistic society. Compromised is completely different. The story of Gideon in Judges 6 has a ton of sermon possibilities. We all have our favorites but I never heard one about his dad... Joash. Joash is a conundrum because when Gideon destroyed Baal's altar and the Asherah pole, he did it at night because he was afraid of not only the neighbors, but his family....

Compromise is a virtue. It’s how colleagues work together, it’s how we stay married, how we live successfully in a pluralistic society. Compromised is completely different. The story of…

12/12/2025

Ecosystems -

09/07/2025

These people don't read history. Last week Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the murder of 11 Venezuelans by blowing up their boat in international waters. Do we know who they were? Not really. Marco blew up the boat. Were they drug dealers? 'Don't know for sure. The evidence went up with the boat. And the Secretary was quick to pass on the glory by deflecting, "On orders from President Trump!"...

These people don’t read history. Last week Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the murder of 11 Venezuelans by blowing up their boat in international waters. Do we know who they were? Not …

08/08/2025

Last month I suggested that our Republican led government is on the historical path trod by authoritarians for the last hundred years. The gospel of Christian Nationalism is at odds with my analysis. I'm fine with that. In contrast, the words "Socialist" and "Communist", conjuring up Nazie and Stalinist images, are applied to people who dare to suggest higher taxes on billionaires and universal healthcare....

Last month I suggested that our Republican led government is on the historical path trod by authoritarians for the last hundred years. The gospel of Christian Nationalism is at odds with my analysi…

07/11/2025

As I read the articles from Trump's detractors, it is unfair to make the current administration's Detention Centers parallel to Auschwitz. The better comparison is Dachau. Let's look at the timeline. Hi**er was legally appointed Chancellor in 1933. Within a few months Dachau was set up for opponents the government didn't want on the streets. Legal niceties were massaged if not skipped altogether....

As I read the articles from Trump’s detractors, it is unfair to make the current administration’s Detention Centers parallel to Auschwitz. The better comparison is Dachau. Let’s l…

06/19/2025

https://mailchi.mp/437de56c07a7/immigrant-fans

04/07/2025

Back from the East -

That's Gabbi and Seth, (Boston University Students), Steph, and finally Robert (Navigator Staff at Boston University) standing at Bratislava Castle, looking out at over our old stamping grounds.   We were scouting out potential ministry opportunities and we found a country full.  Seth got to tea...

03/24/2025

Our Slovak colleague had asked a Ukrainian in the midst of war for advice. The answer has immediate application there... and here. "Take care of your family... and one family more." We were in Bratislava this month when we got a last minute invitation. All sorts of people have been going back and forth between Slovakia and Ukraine since the war started and this fellow had just returned....

Our Slovak colleague had asked a Ukrainian in the midst of war for advice. The answer has immediate application there… and here. “Take care of your family… and one family more.& #8…

01/31/2025

Just A Reminder Folks…

Visit the post for more.

01/25/2025

The pilot came over the intercom and said, “we are beginning our descent into Melbourne”. I could hear two women chatting about house prices and interest rates. The baby over my right shoulder was giving their mother a hard time and the guy next to me was trying to finish his movie. I was looking at the flight information on the screen in front of me and thinking of the 179 people who had died at landing just two days before....

The pilot came over the intercom and said, “we are beginning our descent into Melbourne”.  I could hear two women chatting about house prices and interest rates.  The baby over my right s…

01/25/2025

18 minutes - https://mailchi.mp/a65c34e53d6a/18-minutes

12/25/2024

https://mailchi.mp/0e661e8f6a69/christmas-from-the-edsalls