Author Archives: reallifepastor

Found this poem in my journal from sabbatical.  Reminds me of Betty Woodward, my college mentor whose memorial service I’ll be attending tomorrow.  Mrs. W loved hummingbirds! May 28, 2014   (Wednesday, 10:26 a.m) Morning Lesson I pause on the boardwalk … Continue reading →

Has anyone been dreading today’s sermon–I mean more than usual?  I sure was.  After dealing with that loooong to-do list in Romans 12:9-12 last week, I really didn’t want to add 12 more items to the list. Happily, before writing … Continue reading →

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; 10love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour.11Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in hope, … Continue reading →

Have you grown weary of evil in the world?  Charleston.  Chattanooga.  ISIS.  How can people do such horrific things to each other?  Where is our humanity, indeed. The presence of evil in the world–that’s what sends many people fleeing from … Continue reading →

Good news!  In this summer of growing deeper into community, we’re also growing in numbers.  Today the Stanley family–Christy, Jeff, and Zach–will be joining Pilgrimage. Welcoming new members is a joy.  Knowing that folks have been through a discernment process … Continue reading →

Acts 5:1-11  (NRSV) But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; 2with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at … Continue reading →

Allen and I just got back from a week at the monastery.  (Isn’t that where you spend your vacations?) J  It might seem strange to spend vacation in a dorm, with bathrooms down the hall, to eat bland food, and … Continue reading →

Like everyone else in the country, I was stunned by the shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston last week.  Having grown up in the South, race relations always have been front and center in my thinking and feeling.  … Continue reading →

Got this quote from a church member’s Chipotle cup: “The ancient human social construct that once was common in this land was called community.  We lived among our villagers, depending on them for what we needed.  If we had a … Continue reading →

Author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was raised in the northeast, but on a trip to north Florida in her 30s, she fell in love with the backwoods area known as Cross Creek.  She bought several acres and set up a homestead … Continue reading →