Community

This Sunday our focus will be Peacemaking. The word is a verb as opposed to the word peace which is a noun. Peace is what we might experience as a result of the hard work of peacemaking (and it is hard work). In preparation for this Sunday, I have been reading a book by Donald…

In some Christian denominations the pastor’s hands are tied in terms of the passages she or he will preach on. For example, the Episcopalian Church and the Roman Catholic Church are required to follow the lectionary, which is a three-year cycle of Bible passages arranged by a large inter-denominational group. Presbyterians, Lutherans, and Methodists also…

What a blessing it is to live in Santa Barbara! One might expect that after living here for decades, as many of you have, the beauty of this place would fade into the background. But that does not seem to be the case. People express their gratitude for the gifts of this place in words…

People have been looking at me askance lately, saying “I have a joke…do you want me to tell it?” The answer is YES! Yes, I do want you to tell it. This coming Sunday, the Sunday after Easter, is traditionally one of the lowest attended church services of the year. That means we can all…

Last week the New York Times ran an article titled “How Covid Changed the Clergy in New York,” which triggered my own reflection on how the past two years have impacted me as a clergy person and, more importantly, how it has affected my mission in the church. Looking back, I am beginning to think…