Category: Pastor Paul’s Ponderings and Letters

Sabbatical 2023

Sabbatical 2023. This time, it’s Pastor Jim’s turn. That’s right, Pastor Jim will be going on sabbatical starting Monday, June 5, 2023, and will return to us on Tuesday, September 5, 2023. A dedicated group of leaders will be helping with the preaching, visiting, music, and technical stuff. Sabbaticals are a time for tuning our… Continue reading Sabbatical 2023

Transformation: Your well-prepared script vs real life

Transformation is possible – even for you and me. Many years ago, when my middle child was still in preschool, his class had studied the caterpillar-to-butterfly transformation process. At the preschool open house, they were to release the butterflies into the world. Like clockwork, the caterpillars had done their thing and began emerging from the… Continue reading Transformation: Your well-prepared script vs real life

If Jesus’ followers reviewed him on Rate My Professor

What would it look like if Jesus’ followers reviewed him like students review teachers? Strange thought, I know. But that was precisely Amanda Lehr’s thesis. Here’s my weird spin on that idea. Professor Jesus’ reviews from students like you and me: Where are we challenged by a Risen Jesus? How hard are God’s assignments for… Continue reading If Jesus’ followers reviewed him on Rate My Professor

This week has taken a different direction…

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, as when he comes into our lives as the presence of God, it was a time of rejoicing. If people hadn’t cheered, even the rocks in the street would have cried out! The week soon turned into a different direction. Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were selling… Continue reading This week has taken a different direction…

What broken thing is there too “broke” for God to mend?

In an old poem by John Masefield, entitled “The Widow in the Bye Street,” there is a scene of dramatic agony. A young man is about to be executed for crimes against the state, and in the crowd that is gathered to witness this horrific event stands his widowed mother who is about to be… Continue reading What broken thing is there too “broke” for God to mend?

Choose the Right Parade

Passover was a time of celebration, but it was also a time of high tension in Jerusalem. Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan, in their book The Last Week, say that on that particular day people in Jerusalem would have witnessed two processions or parades— the Pilate Procession and the Jesus Procession. The procession of Roman… Continue reading Choose the Right Parade

Connecting names and faces challenges all of us

Have you ever wondered what the name of the person sitting beside you on the pew? They just introduced themselves, but you haven’t a clue what they said. Plus, recalling their story (where they are from, what did they retire from, who is their family, etc) can be even more perplexing to our memory. Connecting names… Continue reading Connecting names and faces challenges all of us

A place of safety, healing, and peace for grieving people

More than any other time in my ministry, I am aware of people grieving. We grieve all sorts of things: death, loss of independence, loss of income, loss of physical attributes, loss of relationships. The list is long and powerfully personal. To address this monumental ministry, Rev. Shea Darian started working with our leadership. How… Continue reading A place of safety, healing, and peace for grieving people