Since closing the church plant, a couple of years ago, I’ve attempted to maintain a grip on what I’ve always assumed my calling to pastoral ministry was supposed to look like. I did that by immediately diving into helping two different local churches while ignoring and never allowing myself to process the journey and the experiences I’ve walked through.
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Most Merciful God, help us to be still, to trust in your slow work, that we may know your gentle whisper, for you are our God. Teach us your way, Lord, that we may rely on your faithfulness through the valleys, and in doing so, know Christ and the power of his resurrection; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
I “wrote” or rather compiled this collect (i.e. prayer) mostly from various Scriptures. It is my attempt to formulate a prayer that speaks my heart through this season of feeling unsettled, disheveled, and even frazzled since closing the church plant in 2021. read more…
ADVENT is a time in which, for the Christian, the past, the present, and the future all seem to collide with great intentionality. read more…
Praise God! We’ve currently raised 74% of the $2500 goal (as of 10/2), which will cover time off from work, airfare, car rental, and hotel for the trip to Hutchinson, Kansas, to attend the Diocese of the Restoration’s 2022 Holy Convocation.
Myra & I are not only excited to head to our diocese’s Holy Convocation in mid-October, but incredibly appreciative of your continued support.
Going will allow us to finally ground the relationships / connections we’ve built with not only our bishop, but also the other clergy. After all, up to this point everything has been through emails, texts, calls, and Zoom. While I’m grateful for those means of communication, nothing can replace the depth found in face-to-face interactions.
Whether you are able to help us reach our goal or you commit to keeping us in your prayers, know that both are highly valued. Big THANK YOU for investing in us and our ministry journey. read more…
I turn 41 this weekend and in typical fashion when birthdays come around, I ponder things a bit more than usual. And for me that means, more often than not, ministry things.
I become a Christian in October of 1997 and within six months I felt the “call” to pastoral ministry. Since then I’ve been committed to pursuing it. read more…
When I first entered into vocational ministry as a youth pastor I was blessed to serve in a racially diverse local church, both in terms of pastoral staff and congregants. It was there in that small town North Carolina church that I truly began to grasp the beauty of all God’s people. Many of my students were African American. Fast forward to today and my best friend and quite a few other close friends are African American.
Over the last 5+ years the truth of the racial issues and injustices have been exposed to an ever increasingly intense light that can no longer be ignored or brushed aside. I mourn the injustices done and happening to my brothers and sisters of color.
It is incredibly easy for our identity to get so wrapped up in something we are DOING that we inadvertently lose our BEING.
The result is we reduce our BEING to such an extent that we feel lost, or in free fall, once we’re no longer DOING. read more…
Here we are at Easter Sunday.
A day that started in continued mourning, but ended in joy unspeakable.
For on that day the unimaginable occurred. read more…
