Category: The Pastorate

  • “On the Harm We Have Done” (A Prayer)

    Here is a moving prayer confessing the harm that we the church can too often cause: OUR Father, we look back on the years that are gone and shame and sorrow come upon us, for the harm we have done to others rises up in our mem- ory to accuse us. Some we have seared…

  • Advice to Ministers – Hannah Whitall Smith

    Here is sound advice written to ministers, but really it’s good for any situation. “Years ago I came across this sentence in an old book: ‘Never indulge, at the close of an action, in any self-reflective acts of any kind, whether of self-congratulation or of self-despair. Forget the things that are behind, the moment they…

  • Fall and Winter in the Life of the Spirit

    The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” – Jesus (John 10:10 NRSV) I love Fall. It is a beautiful transition time from summer to winter. From a time of abundance to a time of rest, where we have now gathered our…

  • The Resurrection Community Part 1: Standing in the Midst (John 20:19-23)

    This was my prepared message for worship last Sunday. It is the first in a series looking at what it means to be the church in relationship to the final resurrection appearances of Jesus in the Gospel of John. _behind locked doors What is the first thing we can learn about this res. community? The…

  • To Bless and Not to Curse (Openings and Closures): Romans 12:14

    Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Romans 12:14 Queries :: 1. What does it really mean to bless/curse another person with language? 2. In what ways have I been a recipient of both blessings or curses? How have these things impacted my life? 3. What might we need to do to…