Presby-Musings

Scripture: “Be angry, but do not sin.” — Ephesians 4:26 I can't tell you how many times I've counseled people in my role as a pastor, and the conversation turned to something like this:  Me: "I'm so sorry that you are having to go through such a tough time." Them: "I  just don't understand why all of this is happening to me. It's overwhelming sometimes.  But I know that God has a plan, and who am I to question God?  I feel guilty for even complaining."  Many Christians grow up believing emotions are dangerous, unspiritual, or signs of weak faith. We’re told to be strong, stay positive, “don’t cry,” or “just trust God.”  Yet Scripture paints an entirely different picture. The Bible is emotionally vibrant: the psalms cry out with anguish and joy; the prophets lament; Jesus weeps, groans, celebrates, grows angry, and feels distress. Emotions are part of the image of God in us—they are not flaws to overcome but signals to interpret. Emotional re...

It’s the season of Advent - a time of expectation!  Advent helps us prepare our hearts for the coming Christ and a new world.   Jesus’ arrival is both a now and a not yet—how do we live in this tension?  This is what it means to be followers of Jesus. We live in continuous hope and expectation that the world will be made right, that wrong will fail, and right prevail, as the Christmas carol tells us.   We determine that we will embody the truth of God's purposes and desires that there be peace on earth, and goodwill to all.   And Advent allows us to hear the voices and stories of those who call us to preparedness, who invite us to look within and ensure that we are ready to become the change that we so desperately seek in the world.  Today, we are going to encounter the wildness of John the Baptizer and hear a short sermon that is meant to light a fire under us.   Fire and Brimstone Sermons—What purpose do they serve? Some glimpses into how t...

Scripture: “Whatever you do… do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” — Colossians 3:17 Years ago, I was doing some Christmas shopping after a long work day. I fought traffic to and from the stores I wanted to shop at and was disappointed not to find what I was looking for.   Then I had to pick up items from the grocery store, which was maddeningly busy and had few parking spots to choose from.  I finally found one on the fringes of the parking lot and got out of my car in a hurry.   That was when I saw it.  A small bouquet of brilliantly colored fake plastic flowers that someone had stuck in the ground right next to where I parked my car.   For a moment, I forgot all about my busyness and the frustrations of the day.  I smiled.  I thought of all the reasons a person would do something like that, and wondered if they thought it might bring cheer to others.   Mostly, I found myself re-centering my soul.  I thought abou...

Scripture: “Bear fruit worthy of repentance.” — Matthew 3:8 When I was a freshman in high school, I decided I didn't want to participate in a particular P.E. unit, so I didn't "dress out" for a few periods during the semester.   This meant that I didn't don the required shorts and tee shirt for the class, and sat on the field with other people who didn't dress out either.   The teacher didn't say much about it, so I decided it wasn't a big deal, until I received my progress report and discovered that I had an "F" in the class for that grading period.   I was also informed that I was ineligible to play basketball (I was a starter) until my grade met the passing standard.  I pleaded, I begged, I offered to do manual labor to earn extra credit, but to no avail.   My teacher told me that if I was genuinely sorry, I would need to show that I'd learned my lesson.  For the next three weeks, I dutifully dressed out for P.E., threw myself int...

Scripture: “He knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” — Psalm 103:14 After the end of the COVID pandemic, I was absolutely burned out and refused to admit it.  I'd created a story about myself that had no room for failure, burnout, or any weariness when it came to doing my job. Other pastors got burned out, but not me.   I was also going through some absolutely gut-wrenching personal issues on top of everything else.  My marriage was in trouble, and I didn't know what to do to save it.  I was drained of energy, suffering from depression, and finally things broke inside.   I knew that if I didn't take some significant time off, I probably wouldn't make it.  I decided the best thing for me to do was take a sabbatical, which I'd never done during my time as a pastor.   For the first two months of my three-month sabbatical, I went for days without even thinking about church or the future.  I wondered if I would ever go bac...

  Scripture: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” — Galatians 6:9 I wish there were quicker ways to become more spiritually mature.  Despite the many self-help Christian books available for our consumption, the hard truth is that there is no easy path to spiritual growth.   God knows I've tried to find an easier way, but all my searching has only brought me butkis.  Case in point, I've longed for greater patience, to rely more on God, to trust that there is a greater purpose at work in my life, to be free from attachments, and a host of other virtues.  I've prayed for these things, desired them, sought them, and instead what I got was a season of uncertainty, waiting, and silence.   But all the while I've been in the wilderness, I've been slowly finding that all of these virtues have taken hold in some fashion in my life.   The path has not been easy, but I'm gro...