Blogs

Once upon a time, I would have called it a Christmas Tree but it has been standing in the church office for so long that I really don't think of it that way anymore. Each season the decorating elves come through, re-image and re-decorate ~ hearts, green clovers, spring flowers, diplomas, flags, beach balls ~ there have been months and months and mo...

The grass has withered and died. In fact, the only green in the yard are the stems and the leaves of the dandelions. And speaking of the dandelions, they are thick and ready … it will only take a good breeze for those seeds to scatter, fly off to create more dandies. While I am not about to advocate for a crop of dandelions out in front of my house...

A clown and a pastor, which is which? As I asked it of the one with green hair and red nose, she chuckled as though a cheeky joke was about to unfold. On the other hand, could the question also be the threshold to just how complicated the path is? Even after a long seminary journey, it is only by the grace of God that any candidate is prepared for ...

Saturday I covered nearly nine miles ~ from walking the parade, through the park, checking out the car show, back through the part; repeat and repeat. What a day! The privilege of being part of the Immanuel parade representation is so good ~ the antique pickups and tractors, the swing bikes, Max the working dog, wheelbarrow therapy, a yard tractor,...

Following a fellow-convertible, I was returning to Silverton after visiting Salem Hospital. Buzzing down a country road, a pickup truck pulled out and across the road, directly in front of the first convertible. The front driver slammed on his brakes, narrowly missing the pickup; I too heavily braked. The man in the front car threw up his arms, in ...

I looked up and noticed a rather significant limb has been knocked down outside of my study window. One doesn't have to look very far to see any number of those broken remnants of last winter's ice storm. Which is to say, reminders of the event linger… Do you ever catch a whiff of smoke and suddenly last summer's fire situation is right back in you...

I've had some really great conversations recently ~ the sort where folks who see the world differently sit together and share deeply and respectfully. In the times in which we live, having differing voices at the table is gift; it is grace. Yes, we live in circumstances that allow us to construct echo chambers, such that we can order our lives unti...

{Let's be honest, that is exactly what it was engineered to do!} This morning was my first drive up the new and improved McClain Street. Over this past year I have walked along the construction site dozens of times but today was my maiden-Ruby-voyage. Perhaps not for the folks who live beside her, but for someone who lives close, it is good to have...

The stocks of lupine shout joy in my direction ~ bright, cheery, spring in full bloom. Are you hearing joy? From where does it come? Is spring hope blooming in your spirit? How is life charging your spirit? In a recent conversation with my daughter, she said my countenance felt different. Hmmm. Folks returning to the pews… Openings where doors had ...

Slow children at play? Slow, children at play? Sometimes words fail us. Or punctuation… Sometimes we {I!} feel the need to make up our {my!} own words. Thanks to my amazing staff, there is a Pastor Leah Lexicon to help interpret my linguistic creations. While I realize that my unauthorized additions may add confusion, when creating something new, a...

Not only are there textures all around us, we too are textured.      Smooth…              Rough…    Squishy…         Solid… The options go on and go. And each of us morphs through our various textures, depending on stage of life and stage of spirit. While there are...

Walking to church on Sunday morning, is for me an act of pre-worship mindfulness. There is not much going on before 8:00 am in Silverton ~ a couple of Silverton Police cars drive by, a few dog walkers, a couple of runners. And people seem so friendly on a Sunday morning, everyone waves or acknowledges. Eventually I remember that I am in my clerics;...

Parades are happy; parades after a long season of isolation are delightful. Cats. Dogs. Horses. Goats. Geese. A hairless rat. A prancing lama. Fun, fun, fun. Seeing so many of YOU, what joy. Can't wait to see you again. Pastor Leah

This morning I checked in on a colleague who is in the midst of a deep grief chapter. In turn, he asked how I was and promised prayers for Kent as he moves through pain management, onto healing and eventually the rehabilitation of his knee and leg. I was praying for him and his situation; he was praying for us. Suddenly I had a vision of layer afte...

It was no big deal, he was simply headed down the stairs to retrieve his keys. Only trouble was, his boot caught in the carpet and his knee kept going. Snap! Kent's quad tendon was severed. Crazy. But here is the thing, Kent's twin brother Kevin has an even crazier story. A couple of years ago, in a matter of two days, Kevin fell three times ~ snap...

While there are many dog walkers in my neighborhood, I am especially amused by a particular family and their dogs. Almost always, two of the family members walk the two dogs. An old canine and a pup. In fact, it is their habit to do two laps. Both dogs on the first round and then the tuckered out elder is dropped at the family home and the pup goes...

The texts and calls to me began about 5:30 last night. What is going on Pastor? Is this really you? Do you need help? Because each of them had received a text message, 'Hi {name inserted}, I hope you are staying safe? I need a favor from you. Please text me back as soon as you get this message. Thanks.' And my name {spelled correctly} was attached....

This morning was a walking day. We covered over three miles, without seeing a single deer; however, we did encounter a chicken crossing the road. The truth is, we might have missed her great adventure if not for the pickup driver who stopped in order to allow her to safely finish her journey. Why did the chicken cross the road? I have not a clue. P...

In the Canadian town of Listowel, they are calling it a sign war. According to BBC, it began when Speedy Glass threw down the gauntlet, 'Hey DQ wanna have a sign war?' DQ obliged, 'You bet your glass we do.' Corley Sports chimed right in, 'Add us to the sign war because we're good sports.' Not to be silenced, Eaton Funeral Home posted, 'Sign war wi...

The title is borrowed language from last Sunday, when an 'outsider' asked one of Jesus' disciples, 'what is to prevent me from being baptized?' As it turned out, there were all sorts of potential-human-obstacles that the Holy Spirit had swirled right past. I want to keep the conversation going for this community about moving into a future that we c...