On Jan. 27, the world will mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a symbolic date to commemorate the victims of Nazism. Murderous Nazi terror targeted millions for reasons of biology, …

One of my favorite quotes is from Crawford Loritts. He says, “Greatness is never the product of giftedness, greatness is the product of faithfulness.” People strive for greatness. They strive …

I love the “Star Wars” films. Among many quotable lines from the series, one particularly resonates with me as we live out our Christmas reality into the New Year. In “Star Wars: A New …

Editor’s note: The Beacon is revisiting Worship columns by some of our retired writers. This piece that ran Feb 14, 2009, is by Mark Smith, former senior pastor of Mukilteo Presbyterian …

We have completed Christmas Day, and many may already be packing up the tree, and moving on to the New Year’s decorations and parties. In the Lutheran Church and many mainline Protestant …

For Christians, this season of Advent is a time to anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Churches remind themselves using a variety of Christ’s different character …

Editor’s note: The Beacon is revisiting Worship columns by some of our retired writers. This piece that ran Aug.24, 2011 is by Mark Smith, former senior pastor of Mukilteo Presbyterian …

The first night of Hanukkah, the eight-day Festival of Lights, starts this year at sunset on Dec. 18. As I’ve been writing this column for the Mukilteo Beacon worship page since February 2008, …

Rarely do faith and sports cross paths; this year’s World Cup is the exception. Morgan Freeman said “Football united nations and their love for the beautiful game. What brings together …

Hello friends! Sometimes, God speaks to us in the first person. It’s a concept. Pretty compelling stuff. For instance, here is His Voice now, from the Baha’i Writings: “O SON OF …

Editor’s note: The Beacon is revisiting Worship columns by some of our retired writers. This piece that ran May 1, 2013 is by Mark Smith, former senior pastor of Mukilteo Presbyterian …

The start of the fall season is one of my favorite times of the year. I could do with a little less rain, but there is something about November, when the air is crisper, the days are cooler, and the …

On Oct. 31, much of our culture celebrated by dressing up in various costumes and did the very thing their parents had warned them about. They took candy from strangers well into the night. …

Approach the public square with a “firm center” and “soft edges.” Christian writer, religious freedom lawyer, and Iraq War veteran David French recently quoted this idea from Biola …

I am biased. I admit it. Every day there are things that I do, things that I say, and things that I think all come from a prejudice that has developed in me over the years. It’s a prejudice that …

I recently had a friend remind me of a great quote by A.J. Swoboda – "Jesus heard the audible voice of God twice in the New Testament. Neither time was he told what to do but rather who he was. …

Ha ha. I bet I caught a few of you with this headline. Today I want to dig into why this phrase catches people's attention. Be honest: Would you have read further if I had titled this piece, …

According to the Buddha, the primary cause of our suffering is ignorance. What does “ignorance” mean? Ignorance is a fundamental state of mind that reflects misunderstanding. When we become …

By my count, I’ve written about the Jewish High Holy Days at least 15 times for the Beacon Worship page, so some of the following may already be familiar to you. This year, Rosh Hashanah, the …

How often we think about faith and our spiritual beliefs can be a measure of how well life works for us. What does faith mean to you, and do you consider yourself to be a person with belief who is …