First United Church of Nazareth Pastoral Evaluation Report from Pastor/Congregation Relations Committee (PCRC) Over the past three weeks, the PCRC has asked congregation members to submit pastoral evaluations as we seek to provide accountability to our pastor and strengthen our congregation’s ministry in the community. We appreciate all who took the time to… Read More
Saturday Prayer
For the twelve Thai boys and their coach rescued from the depths of the cave; for cave divers, engineers, medical personnel—all 10,000 people who participated in the rescue; for their fathers and mothers holding their sons in their arms today– Gracious God, we give you thanks. For the thousands of children separated from their parents… Read More
Saturday Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit
Veni sancte spiritus. Come, Holy Spirit, breath of life. Come in the luke-warm breeze that cuts through the humid heat. Come in the sun-infused waves licking our ankels and the cool sand my toes find below the burning surface. Veni sancte spiritus. Come through the hard and holy remembrances of those who have been driven… Read More
Wits’ Ends Day: Vacation Preparation
Last month I shared a few vacation tips for pastors, but I realize that I neglected to address what may be the most important aspect of clergy vacations—the week before you leave town. You know, the week you start to think you will need to stay home from your vacation in order to get all… Read More
Saturday Prayer: For Trinity Saturday
Holy, holy, holy God, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer, Let us not commit (too much) heresy tomorrow as we try to explain your inexplicable three-in-oneness: the eternal communion of the Godhead, the perichoresis of the Divine life, the baffling reality that is You, our one God, as Trinity. As we stumble through sermons and liturgy bless our… Read More
Saturday Prayer: Speaking in Tongues
Flaming God of Pentecost, Let us speak in tongues of comfort to those weeping over the bodies of their loved ones shot by troubled gunmen, killed in border clashes, dying from Ebola. Let us speak in tongues of courage to those living in fear of the next shooting, the next bomb, the illness that threatens.… Read More
Saturday Prayer: For a Pastor’s “Weekend”
Holy God, On this day that is both weekend and work, Rest and readiness, lounging and labor: Bless our time—the kairos and the chronos; Breathe steadily within our offbeat rhythms; Be our peace in the midst of the calm and the chaos. We pray in the name of Jesus who offers an easy yoke, a light… Read More
Wits’ Ends Day: Vacation Tips for the Pastor
Summer vacation season is almost upon us. And we all know that vacations can be stress-producing, anxiety-triggering, money-sucking, energy-draining, exercises in “it seemed like a good idea at the time.” BUT, they can also be wonderful, life-giving, revelations. Here are some helpful vacation tips especially designed for pastors who need time away: Establish a “no… Read More
Saturday Prayer: Giving Thanks
For the sunshine, the iris, the thousand shades of green, I give you deep thanks, O God. Let me live in gratitude for the abundance of Your creation: abundant beauty; abundant provision; abundant life. Let me rest, this day, in appreciation for what is solid beneath my feet; for the oxygen in the air I… Read More
The Pastor is Political: On Doing Justice and Being Misunderstood
“Who can read the New Testament and fail to see that Jesus took sides and accepted freely the possibility of being misunderstood.” –James Cone, “Jesus Christ in Black Theology” As both a parent and a pastor, I have long been a supporter of mental health care in my community. I even serve on a state-wide… Read More
