Read the Lectionary Texts   If Jesus lived in South he probably wouldn’t be talking about tiny mustard seeds growing into big plants whose branches are large and strong enough for birds to perch in. No, if Jesus lived in places like here in East Tennessee he’d be talking about kudzu. Now kudzu is not native to Tennessee, or even to the United States. It comes from China and Japan and was first introduced to this country at the Japanese Pavilion in the 1876 Centennial Exposition held in Philadelphia. It was touted as a vine that could control soil [READ MORE]

  Read the Lectionary Texts   A teacher in New York City decided to honor each of her seniors in High School by telling them the difference each of them had made. She called each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First, she told them how they had made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon, imprinted with gold letters that read, “Who I Am Makes a Difference.” Afterwards, the teacher decided to do a class project, to see what kind of impact recognition [READ MORE]