Religion

If you were told to repent the day before you die, when should you start repenting? Right now!  Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (10 days apart) are the Jewish High Holy Days. Observance includes communal prayer, food (such as apples dipped in honey for a...

Although serving as the Bishop for the Gilroy congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints keeps me quite busy, it’s not my day job. I have worked for over 30 years in the tech industry as a software engineer. Over those...

When I attend a 50th anniversary celebration of friends, parishioners and family, I’m struck by love in many dimensions. Undoubtedly the enduring love and good fortune of the couple is celebrated, but also felt and visible are all the effects of that love among...

It is our 170th Anniversary! Our very first church meeting was held on June 4, 1853. This year, Gilroy United Methodist Church will celebrate our 170th Anniversary on Sunday, June 4, at 11am. Lunch will follow the worship celebration. If you are available, please...

On Oct. 27, 2018, as Jews gathered in Sabbath worship at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we were horrified with the news that a gunman entered the synagogue and killed 11 Jews in worship. This year, almost exactly five years later, as...

With the football season coming to a close, it’s a great time to apply the wise Jewish teaching that everything one encounters can teach us a lesson in how to serve G-d. Here are four lessons I learned: Every Player is Crucial The star quarterbacks, wide...

Graduation is upon us and in a few short days, family, friends and students will be gathering to celebrate this truly momentous occasion. For parents and relatives, feelings of pride and satisfaction well up in our souls as they see the children in their...

Before the Fourth of July celebrations are in the rear-view mirror, I offer a religious perspective. The United States of America's Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 (declared in 1776, achieved in 1783, after an eight-year war), is a date we celebrate with enthusiasm...

This week, Jews around the world observed Tisha B’Av, a commemoration known only by its date, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av. This year Tisha B’Av falls on the Gregorian calendar on Thursday, July 27.   Tisha B’Av is the saddest day on...

In November, I attended a lovely interfaith Thanksgiving service at Congregation Emeth in Morgan Hill. It was a gathering of clergy and laity from the many faith communities in Gilroy and Morgan Hill. In addition to the hosting Jewish congregation, there were representatives from...