As anyone who knows me knows, I am a pastor who loves movies. As the recent Oscar ceremonies made clear, this has been a bountiful year for superior film craft. Allow me to share about a few of my …

Today, I have good news and bad news. Thankfully, I still know fellow Americans who regularly encourage empathy and compassion towards fellow human beings, recognizing shared struggles and values, …

Anyone ever wire money to help that Nigerian prince who keeps finding himself in jail? Probably not, but if you have then I’ve got 40 acres of prime swamp land I’d like to sell you. …

Editor’s note: The Beacon is revisiting Worship columns by some of our retired writers. This piece that ran Dec. 31, 2019 is by Mark Smith, former senior pastor of Mukilteo Presbyterian Church. …

Hello friends! The new degrees of abomination globally have me ever more often racing to The Word. What a wonderful silver lining to today’s particular crumbling. I’m sure glad that …

Each column I compose is an overflow of my heart and mind when I write. Today, I find my mind drawn to the idea of hope. Several years back, I was honored to sit on a committee of public …

Since my mother passed away almost four years ago, my father has had a difficult time adjusting to life without her. Thankfully, he had family living nearby in Hawaii, so that helped him …

Did you know the Vatican declared Muslims and Christians believe in the same God? It’s thought-provoking – a Muslim-Christian relationship – suggesting we have something in common. …

W e are a little over the halfway mark of January 2024. How are those New Year’s resolutions going? The gym is a little bit emptier than a few weeks ago, reading has been pushed to the next day …

O n a recent ferry ride from Mukilteo to Clinton, I found myself yet again in awe of the glorious setting in which we live. Blue-green waters and little white caps. The pine tree skyline. …

It has always fascinated me how much scripture uses and calls for the use of our senses in our reading. We hear winds blow over creation waters. We hear the very waters themselves trickle or …

It’s three days into the New Year. Is Christmas packed away? For Christians who also follow a church year calendar, Christmas ends Jan. 6 with Epiphany, the arrival of the Magi – foreign wise …

During worship a few Sundays ago I ducked out and really gave myself the “bed head” look; then came back. Immediately, I got all kinds of comments, especially snickers and those “helpful” …

Did you hear Bethlehem has called off Christmas this year? Jesus was born in, and lived in, the region of Palestine. Based on current events, this may be the most notable Worship column I’ve …

Hello friends! More than 10 million Baha’is live in more than 10,000 communities that are each large enough to elect nine adult members to handle all of each communities’ administrative affairs. …

Hello all, and a happy December to each of you. I am a lover of all things December. I especially love the seasonal salutation and farewell I share with all I encounter, “Merry Christmas!” Join …

Christianity Today published an article on what Christians believe. The article was based on a survey, conducted by LifeWay research through Ligonier Ministries, where they interviewed 3,000 …

I am praying more lately. Of course, as a Christian and a pastor I have believed in the necessity of prayer for decades. But it is all too easy not to pray. The to-do list shouts at us. The …

In February 2023, the Brookings Institute and the Public Religion Research Institute conducted a survey. They asked the question, “Do you agree or disagree that God intended America to be a new …

I recently took a small vacation in Northern Canada. The average temperature was 39 degrees and my spouse and I camped and enjoyed watching the stars at night and hearing the whistle calls of the …