The Gift of Christmas
We hear it so often that it sounds cliche. But that doesn't make the message untrue. The love that came down at Christmas is love that...
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You are a Child of God!
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About The Blog
You are on a spiritual journey, whether you realize it or not! Whether you are religious or not, whether you are pious or not, whether you profess a creed or not, you still are on a spiritual journey.
This blog is for people who want to be more intentional about their journey and would like to have a friend accompany them on their way.
Welcome to the journey!
[Photo: My friend Greg Wissinger and I hiked up Old Rag Mountain near Sperryville, Virginia in June 2019.]
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About Me
I retired from full-time service as a United Methodist pastor in 2019, after serving at Cunningham United Methodist Church (Palmyra, VA) for ten years. In retirement, I served from November 2019 through June 2021 as the part-time pastor of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church (Esmont, VA) and Scottsville United Methodist Church (Scottsville, VA).
In a previous career, I worked as an attorney for twenty-seven years. I spent most of my legal career working as in-house counsel for shopping center developers.
I am a graduate of Wesley Theological Seminary (MDiv 2009; DMin 2016) and the Spiritual Guidance Program of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. I was fully ordained as an Elder in the Virginia Conference of The United Methodist Church (2012) and I am a member of Spiritual Directors International.
This blog is part of my "ministry in retirement" of offering spiritual guidance and friendship to people on the journey.
My wife Carol and I have been married for forty-six years. We divide our time between our home in Midlothian, Virginia and our cottage at Lakeside, Ohio. We have three adult children and two awesome grandchildren.
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Opening Day!
It's Opening Day. Time once again to hear those magic words, "Play Ball!" I still have a one-paragraph essay that I wrote in 2nd Grade....
Building the "Beautiful City"
I grew up with the show “Godspell.” I don’t remember when I first heard the music, but I remember first seeing the musical performed at...
Remembering Irene
Irene Murray February 1, 1927 - June 20, 2022 I first met Irene on July 1, 2009 at choir practice during my first week as pastor. Irene...
Listening for the Voice of the Shepherd
He will feed his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead the mother...
Making Space for the Song of the Angels
I invite you to live these next four weeks “Advent Ready.”
Finding Directions
Spiritual directors listen with compassion and without judgement and help us find our way to our spiritual destination.
Remembering
There is a difference between an intellectual "remembering" or “knowing” and a spiritual connection.
Reconnecting
God keeps waiting for us to reconnect, to come home to a restored relationship.
Moving Mountains
He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to...
When Will It Be Safe to Leave the Ark
The key to abundant life is to live the lives that we are given today.
Do Something
Have you ever become so engaged and caught up in your work that you blocked everything else out of your mind and lost all sense of time?
From Experience to Photographs to Memories
Our memories can serve as portals through which we see how God has been present in our lives.
Googly Eyes
The spiritual journey invites us to become aware of who we really to see ourselves as God sees us.
It Is What It Is
Spiritual seeing requires that we open our eyes to the world around us and inside us that we accurately focus on it.
Inside and Out
Developing an awareness of our movements from the inside to the outside and back again is part of what we call soul work.
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Contact Me
Thanks for your interest in the spiritual journey. Do you have questions? Do you want to share your experiences, progress, struggles or requests? Please feel free to get in touch and I will get back to you soon!
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