Many of you have reached out to Father Mark and me to say how you miss having the Eucharist, that sharing in the bread and wine made holy is an important part of your connection to God. We miss it as well. For those of us called to be priests, being able to preside at the Eucharist is a...
Dear Lord, we're still hoping that we'll wake up. We're still hoping we'll peek from under the covers and think, thank God it was just a dream. Just yesterday moms were packing school lunches, children were going off to school, restaurants were open, sports arenas were busy, brides were walking...
This afternoon Father Mark, and a relatively new member, Jenny, were in our upper parking lot collecting masks to send up to a hospital where Jenny's sister is a doctor in Los Angeles. Apparently the hospital's stock of masks was stolen. Hundreds of new, clean masks were donated. First off...
This is the third posting on my adventures after foot surgery. Every week or so a new learning. Yesterday I had to take my mother to the doctor. Nothing dire, just a check-up. She is 90 years old, cannot see, and uses a walker. Skip would have normally taken her but he chipped a tooth and had...
My second posting after my surgery. First, I realize what I post is based on a temporary condition. I had surgery and in about four weeks, I should be able to wear shoes on both feet. So I am blessed to know this is temporary. And regardless I have become aware of the vulnerability of...
It has been almost two weeks since my surgery. All went well and I plan to return, in a limited fashion back, to St. Bartholomew's Poway this week. However, I have had some significant learnings - things I “knew” but didn’t fully appreciate before now. A...
St Bartholomew’s has been through many changes in the last 60 years. As we look to the future, I would like to share some of those changes I’ve witnessed and experienced. My first Sunday at St Bartholomew’s was Easter Sunday, April 1969. I walked into the Parish Hall with my...
Lent . . . I can think of no other church season that inspires such mixed responses. Beginning on Ash Wednesday and ending on Holy Saturday, it is the time of preparation for Easter, in which the faithful are called to a period of repentance, humility, and engaging our mortality. A nifty little...
Of all the churches that I have served, St. Bart’s has a special place in my heart, not only because of all that we have done together but for the dear people who have been (and are) members of this church. It was a privilege for me to be your priest, and it’s good to be with you...
A few weeks before Christmas, I was overwhelmed by the functional ministry of our church. This led me to work extra hours, sleep poorly, and be a little grumpy. I cried out to God, Help me. Immediately I recalled an image of the holy family by artist Janet McKenzie. I went into my office and...