Dear Church, As General Conference 2020/2024 opens in Charlotte, I wanted to share why I have hope for the church. Let me begin by saying I am a friend and lover of the church. It has taught me everything I’ve ever learned about faith, hope and love. (It has also been the venue for tremendous ugliness, but that’s for another post on another day.) Please … Continue reading Why I Have Hope for General Conference 2020/2024
There are many articles floating around these days detailing reasons why clergy are leaving the church. In an online discussion of one of them I asked “Are there any studies about why people stay?” Seeing none, I offer my own current perspective. This is not to rebut those who are leaving, though I will probably address similar ideas. Ministry is complex and there are many … Continue reading Why I’m Staying in the Church
The Beauty of our Local Mariachi Program On Cinco de Mayo, our school district hosted a Mariachi concert. It was a packed-house free show for the community. The local mariachi teacher is the newly-crowned Washington State Music Teacher of the Year. The first portion of the show was the presenting of the award as well as some scholarship to mariachi students. At the first, I … Continue reading Mariachi and Me
…and in praise of my mother. I want to tell the brief story of my mother as an illustration of what the church can do. In a few days, my mother will officiate her first funeral. Last year, she began serving a small local United Methodist congregation as a Certified Lay Minister. Her certification means she has undertaken many hours of training in the finer … Continue reading In Defense of Church…
The world has been upended by the emergence of COVID-19 in late 2019. The changes it has wrought in our world are unprecedented in my lifetime. The loss of life has been staggering and personal. The loss of security is also profound. Furthermore, people’s faith in institutions and trust in each other has cratered! What is your go-to metaphor for this season we’ve endured? Is … Continue reading Church Lessons from the COVID Era
I sent this to President Biden this morning. Dear Mr. President, September 21, 2021 “To whom much has been given, much will be required” (Luke 12:48). We have been given a lot in this country, have we not? As you know, many of our fellow Irish descendants came here on the heels of immense tragedy of hunger and famine. Where would you be had the … Continue reading Dear Mr. President: A Letter on Compassion for our Haitian neighbors
Prolific 1980s pop philosopher William R Joel once said “Life is a series of Hellos and Good-byes. I’m afraid it’s time for Good-bye again.” Itinerant ministers become accustomed to saying Good-bye, it’s my turn again. I know these things stretch out and get annoying before they’re done. There is often a little bit of relief when the day to leave finally arrives: at least you … Continue reading Garage Church
As I try to become more anti-racist, I’ve been listening to Nina Simone a lot. She’s hard to listen to. But I’ve found it necessary for deeper living to listen to her. She has a clarity of language that makes her message accessible. And she tells her truth. I’ve noticed lately that when white people talk about racism, we talk in abstractions. It seems that … Continue reading The Heartache of Racism
When compiling the list of Top Presidential Moments of the 21st Century, one could easily argue that President George W Bush climbing the mountain of rubble at Ground Zero belongs in the top spot. I remember watching it on TV. But I actually have MORE chills thinking about it almost 20 years later. Here was a man getting within inches of the people he serves … Continue reading Radicalized Christianity?
Dear Mr. President, I am writing to ask you to prioritize the vaccination of teachers. I suspect that many are vying for your attention on this matter. Please hear out my case for vaccinating teachers sooner rather than later. My wife Meredith and I have two kids, a fifth-grader named Anna and a second-grader named Ollie. They have both been in remote learning since March … Continue reading Mr. President, Vaccinate the Teachers
