The Easter Yawn
Jennie and I worshipped on Easter Sunday in the midst of a full congregation adorned in colorful Easter morning attire. All the generations were present. The beauty of the day outdoors was matched by the splendor of the sanctuary’s décor. The scent and sight of lilies on the chancel steps rendered creation’s praise. The lay leader read the Easter scripture with verve. The choir sang with gusto. The preacher preached a word/Word that set my pen to scribbling memorable lines and insights. Everything was Day of Resurrection fine, I’m telling you … except for the Easter Yawn.
"Living Out the Verbs of Our Lives: Transitioning into Retirement"
I retired last year after forty years of congregational ministry.
Colleagues asked, "What made you decide it was time?" "What's it like?"
I answer, "It's a transition. I'm figuring it out as I go."
Here is my six-month report of discerning my call to the next chapter of my life.
The Parable of the Flag Poles
I did a double take and made a U-turn on one of Jennie and my road trips (I’ve dubbed them “retirement junkets”). I wanted to take a second look at something I’d seen out of the corner of my eye in passing. A church had two large flagpoles facing the highway on which the United States flag and the Christian flag fluttered side-by-side fifteen feet or so above the parking lot … Read on for a meditation on the relationship between church and state.
A Rite of Passage Remembered
Our two oldest grandchildren from Arizona are spending ten days with their grandparents this month. Both have enjoyed being Cub Scouts. Here is a piece I wrote when their father, our son Will, was a scout. The piece was published in Scouting magazine in their October 1996 issue.
Essay: John Lewis “I Am A Witness” Exhibit
A framed version of this essay on the death of Congressman John Lewis, first published on 7-22-20, introduces a photographic display at Union Presbyterian Seminary at Charlotte. "I am a Witness" chronicles the unlikely friendship of Rep. Lewis with Wade Burns, a member of my wife Jennie’s extended family.
Article: “Learning the Hard Way”
Published in READERS WRITE section of The Sun magazine, Oct. 2022
On the way home I got in an accident at an intersection: I braked, slid thirty feet, and rear-ended the car in front of me. No one was hurt — though I had the distinct impression I would feel some pain after I told my dad what happened.
Essay: “Tribute”
This morning, Mr. Joe Robertson and Elder William Reed came a calling from across the years. They’re both gone now. They didn’t know each other. The only thing they have in common is the color of their skin and their both having blessed me by receiving a younger me into the hospitality of their presence. Today their visages come to mind and I am grateful.