True North

You never do this. You always do that. We literally just talked about this. This again? You sound exactly like your parents right now. Can’t you take a joke? Can’t we just drop this and move on? Those are just some of the greatest hits of toxic communication in...

The Good Stuff

I have never actually counted them up, but I’ve probably officiated well over 100 weddings in my 20+ years of ordained ministry. And in that time, I can honestly say I’ve never had a true disaster at a wedding I’ve officiated. That’s not to say there haven’t been some...

Peace Be With You

Peace be with you. Peace. Be. With you. Peace. I’ve mentioned this before, but Montreat, a Presbyterian conference center in the NC mountains just outside of Asheville, is one of my favorite places on the planet.  I know I can always find peace there.  And one of my...

Sermon

The Apostle Paul was one worried man.  He had worked so hard to establish several fledgling Christian congregations in Galatia but now it appeared that his work might go right down the drain. As you heard Jim read during the introduction to the scripture, most of the...

Great Ends 6: Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven

As almost everyone here knows by now, I announced at the beginning of this past week that I would be concluding my ministry in Bethlehem at the end of July in order to accept a call to serve as pastor to another congregation. In the Presbyterian Church, pastors are...