From a Pastor's Point of View

Grief

  • A Light in the Middle of Our Darkness

    “We saw his star in the east[a] and have come to worship him” (Matt. 2:2b CEB).      Sometimes, I watch a New Mexico sundown and feel transfixed by the fantastic colors. One of my favorite moments is watching as the… Continue reading

  • There is a Time to Mourn When Moving to Another Church

    “Everything on earth has its own time and its own season” (Eccl. 3:1 CEB). The first verse from the third chapter of Ecclesiastes reminds me that mourning the loss of the church I leave is natural. The reading does not… Continue reading

  • How Long Must We Wait?

         During this season of Advent, I cannot help but wonder how long God expects us to wait for His presence. The people of Israel lived in a ridiculously lengthy period of Advent, as they waited for hundreds of years… Continue reading

  • Navigating a Church Split

         I am a United Methodist Pastor, and the season in which we live is not easy. So it is with great sadness that I see and hear churches in my annual conference choose to disaffiliate with the United Methodist… Continue reading

    Navigating a Church Split

  • Where Do We Go from Here?

         I cannot help but think of the Jewish refugees reentering the land flowing with milk and honey after the exile. Jerusalem lay in ruins, and the first temple no longer existed. The word trauma seems to be an appropriate… Continue reading

    Where Do We Go from Here?

  • A New Covenant

    Devastation and heartbreak surrounded Jerusalem. Disaster followed the Hebrew people. God officially claimed that due to the constant disobedience of the favored nation, the covenant broke. And for the first time in the nation’s history, Divine favor did not exist.… Continue reading

  • Freeing Yourself from Shame

    Shame is more than a five-letter word.  It can hold you hostage and keep you wholly locked within a prison of your making.  For me, I carry shame for things that were not even my fault.  The wounds pierce my… Continue reading

  • Beaten and Broken (Sometimes)

    There are times that I feel a little beaten up.  My struggles may come in the form of unkind words, or actions meant to harm me.  There are moments that I want to rise up and defend myself.  I want… Continue reading

  • It’s Easy to Get Stuck

    I am grateful for my time in Austin.  While attending Austin Presbyterian Seminary, I was able to walk the campus of the University of Texas.  Ah yes, that beautiful campus with the tower.  As I walked down the stairs of… Continue reading

  • It’s Okay to Mourn

    I am entering the week that marks the end of the firsts regarding my mother’s death.  This is the first Thanksgiving that she will not be with us.  This time last year she was in the hospital.  Has a year… Continue reading