Bruce J. Johnson

I regularly read the Substack posts written by Heather Cox Richardson. In response to the horrific shooting in Minneapolis of Alex Pretti, the thirty-seven-year-old ICU nurse, on January 24, 2026, Richardson wrote a very heart-wrenching reflection, ending with a quote from Pretti’s parents: Tonight, Susan and Michael Pretti, the parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti, issued … Read more

President Donald Trump delivered a predictably meandering and grievance-filled speech to a packed White House Press Briefing room on Tuesday. (January 20, 2026) He spoke for one hour and forty-five minutes to mark the one-year anniversary of his return to office. Trump’s communication staff called the thirty-one-page binder, which he threw on the floor within … Read more

I read a remarkable quote the other day by the Reverend Dr. Boyung Lee, Professor of Practical Theology at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colorado. The Christmas story does not promise us a world without Herods,                         but it does promise us Emannuel-God with us- even when we’re running.             The presence of … Read more

Just outside the gate to our condominium complex in Florida, there is a car repair facility called ASAP Auto Repair. The owners have placed a message board roadside on which they provide entertaining and insightful quotes, questions and quips. Before Christmas, the front side asked: What does an elf get when he runs behind a … Read more

I mentioned in my last post that I loved presiding at the Christmas Eve Service of Lessons, Carols and Candlelight. It was not my preference, and therefore, not my practice to preach on Christmas Eve. Rather, I gladly surrendered the evening to the power of the actual scriptural narrative, beautiful and beloved choral Christmas music, … Read more

Throughout my tenure as pastor of the First Congregational Church of Coventry, I loved presiding at the Christmas Eve Service of Lessons, Carols and Candlelight. We always gathered at 11:00 pm and welcomed Christmas Day and the good news of great joy, the birth of Christ, by candlelight. The congregation sang all the beloved carols, … Read more

“Joy is the light we need when life feels its darkest.” – Lindsey Goodwin, PhD. I concluded my previous blog post with a quote by the Reverend Emily Wiles. As I am sure that we all soon discovered, her words were not meant to be simply read, but rather, to be pondered deeply in the … Read more

Over the years, I have heard it said often that Aging is not for sissies or wimps! Another favorite warning is, Getting older is not for the faint of heart. Equally true! I have always liked Philip Larkin’s description of it as an “inverted childhood.” (The Old Fools) I think sometimes that my inversion has … Read more

As we enter this last week of November, the one designated for the beloved national holiday of Thanksgiving, our thoughts focus with a greater sense of urgency on the need to give thanks. Presidential Proclamations call the nation to gather at home and hearth and give thanks to God for the blessings in our lives. … Read more

Lois and I left for our winter in Florida by late October, a day or so before Halloween. We spent two nights on the road. Just outside Daytona Beach, we stopped at our first BUC-EE’S, a chain of travel centers known for all kinds of distinguishing features and services. BUC-EE’S has won a few world … Read more