In 1909, a small but growing group of congregational believers, after meeting for some time in various locations, including private homes and the Baldridge Opera House, (which in recent years was Por Favor Mexican Restaurant and is now Hacienda Cazadores on the corner of La Mesa Blvd. and Palm), broke ground for what would become La Mesa Central Congregational Church near the corner of Lemon and Third Street. The two-story building, comprising a large meeting room, kitchen, and storage room on the lower floor, and a small chapel and multipurpose room on the upper floor, opened its doors for regular Sunday services and other events in February of 1911. Rev. Charles Hill, who had been serving as a congregational missionary to the Hawaiian Islands, was called back to the mainland to be the first pastor of Central Congregational Church in their new building. God blessed this original group of CCCers, and as they grew in number, plans were made for a new building; this time for a true sanc...

As we forge into the fog and freedom of a new year, many of us consider making New Year’s resolutions. And while most of us think better of it before we get too carried away, we have at least considered the possibility of taking better care of our bodies, reforming our finances or securing a ticket for that trip of a lifetime, just to name a few common resolutions. Whether you are a resolutioner or not, have you ever considered that most of the new commitments we contemplate each January are self-centered rather than other-centered? We tend to focus on improving our self-image or satisfying our curiosity, rather than on growing in compassion and generosity or on being a better friend, neighbor, or family member. This isn’t to say that these two categories of resolutions are mutually exclusive. If we take better care of our bodies and finances, we may be able to serve those around us with more energy and resources. However, we live in a cultural context that thrives on creating discont...

Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, The Avengers – these are just a few of the superheroes from the comic books of the past that have flooded our movie and television screens for many years now. There is a seemingly never-ending stream of movies and TV shows about dystopian themes that require the intervention of someone of superior strength, courage and intellect – often from another planet or realm – to intervene on behalf of humanity before the annihilation of the planet or the domination of the world by an evil person or force. Conversely, there is an endless supply of supervillains for us to root against and to thrust our fears upon. This fascination with superheroes is nothing new. Almost every culture throughout history has fashioned a simple oral tradition or an ornate mythology that recounts stories of human and divine heroes and villains in an ongoing battle for the fate of the world and the survival of humanity. These stories, myths and movies manifest a historical,...