Eric Needle

The hospital has a term for when a patient has died. It is “RHC” meaning respiration has ceased. We use those initials so no visitors or other patients might hear the words death, died, passed away, etc. We speak in secret code so that as the nurses make notifications from the nurses station they can say RHC and not “so and so died”. Tonight I’m paged to be with a family for a woman near...

My friend Carl died last week. His wife, Mary, left the news on my voice mail. Terrible way to get the information but then when is it ever a good time to hear of a friend’s death? Carl and I have known each other for probably 7-8 years. He was a member of my congregation I first served from 2000-2005. After I left there he stayed in touch with me and came over (40 minutes...

Today I visited my allergy doctor for my annual checkup.  I’ll bet you’ve done something similar…the annual follow up to see how things are going.  I was tempted to ask how much weight I might have gained over the year but didn’t!!! I was tested for allergies about two years ago and I have allergy to pet dander and various outside pollen, weeds, grasses, etc.  I forget exactly how many things were found when I...

Greetings Friends! Grace and peace be with you all for Holy Week, Easter and beyond! Just like everyone else in the neighborhood, I tacked the yard for the first time this spring. I have a fairly large yard and I am thankful for whomever invented the riding mower (I just hope there is no video recording of me trying to get out of the culvert last summer). I feel overwhelmed with the yard. There is...

It’s just a random trip to Kroger’s.  And as I’m apt to do I peruse the clearance items and, lo and behold, I see Old Spice deodorant on sale.  I open it and take in the familiar fragrance.  I tear up remembering that’s how my Dad used to smell.  I don’t think he wears that now, but as he and my mother face deteriorating health and financial issues I know he is not long for...

 I wonder why we pinch people who are not wearing green today, St. Patrick’s Day.  Was that invented by 11 year olds (like mine) who would enjoy the search and pinch mission?  I found out the color of green is important to the Irish people because it represents their land and heritage.  Under English rule, they weren’t allowed to wear any green and could have been killed for it.  So after that was over the...

There are a variety of names of churches when you gander at our Indiana-Kentucky Synod directory.  I was looking through it this week and noticed that there are 17 churches in our Synod with the name Christ Lutheran Church!  There is only one church named Antioch Lutheran and only one church that has the Lutheran name first:  Lutheran church of the Cross!  And there is only one church with the name Come2Go located in Ft....

This is our Lord and Savior the same one the Pharisees grumble about. ”This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.” And I say AMEN, THANKS BE TO GOD!

You Shall Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, mind and soul, and love your neighbor as yourself

Whereas we, the undersigned, and others associated with us, desire, for the sake of our common purposes, to band ourselves together into a National Cursillo Secretariat for Lutherans…

A group of young men, of the Spanish Action Movement, were attempting to launch, what they believed would be a wonderful

Cursillo Founder Dies at 90, Members Thank Him for Bringing Them the Gospel