Tag: pastor

Hopeful Naivete

I love the New Year. I do. I love fresh starts, new beginnings, a resetting of priorities. Everything is possible. The snow (not in Santa Rosa, CA, of course) feels fresh and the skies look blue. I’ve organized new calendars for home and office, paid the bills, run a lot of miles, finished a couple…
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A Holy Mess

Just before Advent, I finished a sermon series on King David. It wasn’t long, just eight sermons, but for those two months I lived and breathed David. After I finished the final sermon, a friend asked “So, what did you take away from the David story for yourself, your own life?”  My unfiltered answer was…
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Big Church

Anne and I recently returned from a 2-month sabbatical. It was the third one I’ve had since being ordained, and in a word it was–epic. We ran and rested, biked and hiked and toured. I read and wrote extensively while Anne (a studio artist) sketched and painted. We spent time with our family and close…
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Learning What You Already Know

The Jewish Sabbath prayer says: “Days pass and the years vanish, and we walk sightless among miracles. Lord, fill our eyes with seeing and our minds with knowing; let there be moments when Your Presence, like lightning, illumines the darkness in which we walk.” I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the…
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