Don’t Miss the Signs

Don’t Miss the Signs

It was Emily Dickinson who wrote, “Tell the truth but tell it slant,” which I tend to think was Jesus’ general approach, what with the parables and such. And normally I agree with Emily and Jesus, but lately I’ve begun to wonder if the moments in which we’re living...
The Power of Storytelling

The Power of Storytelling

I’ve always been of the opinion that storytelling is the most powerful tool in a preacher’s toolkit. This is largely because I learned how to preach from one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met, Jim Somerville, who can spin a yarn like no other person I know. But...
Searching for Easter Eggs and Signs of Life

Searching for Easter Eggs and Signs of Life

We’re deep into Easter season, these days following that high-attendance Sunday where everyone looks especially festive, and we engage in the sacred ritual of hunting for eggs in the churchyard. We held an Easter egg hunt at my church this year, and we emerged on the...
Give It Up

Give It Up

Someone asked me last week what I had given up for Lent this year. I’m a bit embarrassed to say that her question caught me off guard because I haven’t given anything up for Lent, and I’m her new pastor. I suppose I could easily compose an entire list of excuses for...
Bring Me Back Again?

Bring Me Back Again?

For over three decades, the soundtrack of my travel home to Honolulu that began as soon as the airplane landed on the coral reef runway and taxied toward the gate was the Beamers’ song, “Honolulu City Lights.”  The song is a wistful goodbye to the islands that would...