Since this is the first post, I suppose I need to do let you get to know me--at least a bit. You can read my bio elsewhere on the site--so I won't repeat it.
But I think I should say that I am as surprised as anyone else that I am now a pastor in the Presbyterian Church.
Looking back, I can see lots of signs that I had an interest in, an affinity for, things spiritual. Hindsight is easy.
And of course I ignored it all. I can make the excuse--and its true--that there were few role models in the religious world if you weren't Catholic and didn't want to be a nun. In my Protestant world, men were ministers, preachers, and women did Sunday School. Not interested. But that wasn't really the issue. The issue was that I ignored everything about me that felt connected to something greater. Until I just couldn't do it anymore.
I spent most of my life treating God as a telemarketer--you know, "God calling? Sorry, I already have religion. I gave at the church. Thank you, and have a nice day."
However, it seems that no matter how many times I hung up, God kept on calling. Until I finally listened. And so here I am. Not without faults, not without doubts, not without false starts, and not at all sure of what I am doing, most of the time. If you read this blog in the future, I feel sure the faults, the doubts, the by-ways of my journey will be amply demonstrated.
But I have learned that God exists, and has purpose, and that we, if we choose, can be a part of that purpose, that we can live lives that have meaning beyond our immediate joys and sorrows. And most of all, that although a faith journey is highly personal, and for many of us somewhat private, it is not something to be taken alone. We are in this together. And I hope that some of you, reading this, will take me along for your journey, and join me in mine.
