Bonnie Zickgraf

How appropriate that the silhouette of a child is captured with a cross in the sky, the sun and the moon . . . at Easter time. This photo was given to The Times by Pastor Bonnie Zickgraf. She told us that it’s quite common to see both the sun setting and the moon rising at…

This morning I went to a Lenten breakfast. It was the last in a series of four very early Saturday morning meals and lessons. My goal was to attend all four occasions this year. Mission accomplished! But God had much more in mind for me today in the form of a real life, day-long parable!…

EDITOR’S NOTE: Bonnie Zickgraf is a retired pastor, author, former columnist for The Times and an RN in mental health nursing and health plan accreditations. She recently sent some passages and thoughts for the upcoming Easter holiday. Send comments and prayer requests to bonniezickgraf@gmail.com.  Matthew 27:50-51 “Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. At that…

Temper: a state of mind… or to moderate something. Tempering: to let a big, fat juicy steak rest at room temperature before throwing it on the grill! When we hear the word temper, we often think of anger or a deeply frustrating annoyance, often with outward signs of display. It was not the anger of…

A new hybrid (online and audio) program, Divine Anatomy, debuts Monday, Feb. 9 for the non-profit organization “Front Porch- Well Connected.” It will begin at 8 a.m. on the second and fourth Mondays in Hawaii and will be offered in all US time zones through to 1 p.m. Eastern. Each bi-weekly segment is 35-40 minutes long. The program…

April 9, 2025 There is a current estimate of 73 million people aged 65 and older living in the United States (2025).  It’s a known fact that we are living longer these days, and my generation (the Baby Boomers) is projected to grow to over 95 million people in the United States by the year…

(written 7/13/2020, revised 6/9/2025) I moved from Florida to Indiana ten weeks ago. Since that time, I have retired from full-time employment as a nurse and began my very part-time employment with the local Methodist Church as Hospitality Coordinator. I knew this part of the transition was going to happen before I moved. I’ve been…

(original July 10, 2020) Sometimes my brain and my heart live in grueling and anxious knots. Last night during a small group meeting, I listened for several hours as we talked about racial tensions in this country. I also listened for hours about how guilty we should feel and how wrong we have been and how…

  This week’s offering is a reflection for Community of Faith United Methodist Church, Davenport, Fla. – an analysis of a sermon by Pastor Chris Jones, May 16, 2020 In case you missed it, here are the highlights of the pastor’s message this past weekend as he continued in the series called, “Credo: I Believe”…

May 2, 2020, revised March 16, 2025 God Listens! Part One “We should never underestimate God. That’s what the disciples were doing in the boat. They underestimated God. ‘Wake up Jesus! We’re all going to die.’ They failed to realize the power of God was in the boat with them. We’re going to face many…