I have fond memories from elementary school of running around on the playground making silly promises. But even young Melissa knew that a promise made was only as good as the word of the promise maker...  Read More

If you have ever spent any time far from the city and the suburbs, the night sky is simply miraculous. During those long nights alone in the wilderness, I bet Jesus spent a lot of time looking up into...  Read More

Mindful, by Mary OliverEvery dayI see or I hearsomethingthat more or lesskills mewith delight,that leaves melike a needlein the haystackof light.It is what I was born for –to look, to listen…to lose m...  Read More

I recognize that this may not be the most popular thing to say, especially with the current popularity of the musical, Wicked, but I have always hated the movie, The Wizard of Oz.  What is a cherished...  Read More

Many mornings, when my cats are awake far earlier than I and have more energy than I have ever been able to muster in the morning, I ask my cats to tell me their tale of woe. Kobe Kat especially loves...  Read More

Picture a crowded cocktail party.  Two vague acquaintances find themselves face to face. “Hi, how are you?”  “Fine, how are you doing?”  “Great, a little tired, but aren’t we all?” “Too much work, rig...  Read More

“The battles the Greek heroes had to fight were against their enemies.  The battles their Jewish counterparts had to fight were against themselves: their fears, their hesitations, their sense of unwor...  Read More

I am a less than enthusiastic negotiator. Before I went to seminary I spent some time working with Central American refugees in Mexico.  There were many challenges but the hardest one for me was engag...  Read More

No less an authority than The Amy Vanderbilt Complete Book of Etiquette as Revised and Expanded by Letitia Baldridge, provides one hundred and twenty seven pages of instruction regarding weddings and ...  Read More

January 12, 2025 Baptism of the Lord  Ladue Chapel Presbyterian Church Isaiah 43:1-7Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 “Our Redemption Story” Melissa K. Smith Ebenezer Scrooge has one of the best redemption arcs in...  Read More

December 24, 2024  Christmas EveLadue Chapel Presbyterian ChurchLuke 2:1-20“An Antidote to Pantophobia”Douglas T. KingFor most of us in this room that melody delivers a vibrant memory of the Charlie B...  Read More

December 22, 2024  Fourth Sunday of AdventLadue Chapel Presbyterian ChurchLuke 1:26-38“Two Morphemes to Change the World”Douglas T. King Over the years there have been some famous newspaper headlines ...  Read More