Neil Dunnavant is retiring this month. His last Sunday with us is February 27. We will have one service at 11 am. For information on how we are honoring Neil, look here. In the state of Guerrero, Mexico, it is popular to eat pozole on Thursdays. Restaurants called...
I am really enjoying my unexpected extra 4 months to serve as one of your pastors. I deeply appreciate all your best wishes and inquiries into what my life will be like after I leave at the end of February. If you look up the word “retire” in a dictionary,...
Many still find the familiar and ancient words of the Apostles Creed or the Nicene Creed comforting and powerful. Even if after all these years we are not sure about the holy catholic church or the descent into hell. Or why is it necessary that we affirm that Jesus...
A big part of developing and growing as a person is seeking and finding inspiration. Sometimes we just want to be entertained or to forget our own problems for a while, but I am constantly on the hunt for books and films and encounters with real people who inspire me...
Many times in my life I have found that doing nothing (a form of patience) is exactly the right thing to do. Here is one example. Before we moved to Greensboro in 2003, we lived in the small village of Fincastle, Va., for 11 years. During that time, we built a house...
Through my travels and readings I have learned about so many ways people bury and honor their dead. In Guatemala City there is a huge creepy prestigious sprawling cemetery where only the wealthy are allowed to stay indefinitely. Most people can only afford to have...
Several times a week I am asked to pray for people, and several times a week I let people know I am praying for them. But what am I actually doing? What is happening? First let me suggest what I don’t think is happening. I am not trying to get the attention...
It happened again last night. I woke up at 2, came downstairs, poured myself a little something to drink, and sat in the dark and thought about Dolly. It is my Presbyterian and very solitary form of the Jewish practice of sitting Shiva, a seven-day period to mourn...
Someone left in my office a digital countdown clock to the day of my retirement. As I am writing this essay, I have 110 days, 4 hours, 19 minutes, and 52 seconds left. So I must not squander my precious time. I have only so many more opportunities to preach,...
This past Monday we recognized the anniversary of Kristallnacht, The Night of Broken Glass. On November 9, 1938, the destruction of more than 1,400 synagogues began in Nazi Germany. Over the years Kate and I have watched so many films about Nazi Germany and all the...
