Posts Categorized: Pastor’s Ponderings

The wind blows stiff and proud And golden leaves whirl and dance And run down the street just like We did when we were kids, Set free from school. But the little maple tree- The one that sprouted just last spring- The one stretching up to three feet tall By the old redbud stump- That… Read more

On this side of our small mountain There is an even smaller glade Where a hemlock, young but tall, Has taken to the sun- Her wobbly crown perched Like a drunken sailor upon a mast And even as I laugh out loud I ponder, bemused, my faith Which though neither sturdy like the cedar Nor… Read more

I don’t know why The world works – Or doesn’t work – The way it does, But I see people Rushing off to work, Or scrambling to get their kids to school, Or hurrying for the best spot At the Walmart parking lot, Or cutting across lanes To get their cigarettes, And I have decided… Read more

We cut the fallen maple tree Yesterday, her leaves Bright red, perhaps brighter Than ever. I would have taken a few, Made something of them – A small bouquet, perhaps – But even so they Would not last, Their beauty saved Only in my memory. So there they are, Beside the fence, Bright testimony Witnessed… Read more

“Life is a gift to be received with gratitude, And a task to be pursued with courage.” -Confession of 1967 Some days I neglect gratitude, And some days I lose my courage- Lord help me, either way. And Lord, there are days When they both are absent! On those days, Lord, Roll away the stone… Read more

Waiting to be inspired I have learned the best thing Is to do what must be done And open my eyes as I do, To notice what I have seen before To understand what I have left behind To discern why I am here To see who I am with To love the time that… Read more

Autumn has arrived On the heels of a storm, Fifty-seven degrees and sunshine At 7 a.m. on a Wednesday in September. So I have the time, and it is now, To weed the garden one last time and Put anti-freeze in the tractor and Advertise the chipper-shredder While the market is hot And Lift my… Read more

Dear friends, this poem is four years old today. Most likely, I have shared it with you before. Yet, I feel as I should focus on it today and this week. The times are quite challenging, and hate is stronger than ever. Pray for mercy, cherish grace, and labor for justice. When those three abound,… Read more

Maybe wisdom is as simple as Doing an odd task in your 10 minutes of free time, Or maybe it’s just knowing Time is never free. Maybe wisdom is packing your lunch, Having an extra pair of shoestrings on hand, Waiting to buy something you don’t need right now In case it’s on sale next… Read more

Walking normally, With my eyes to the ground, I saw something out of place, Tucked in a niche Where nothing should have been: “Random Act of Art,” it said. “Sweet,” I thought, And then thought some more- What if there were random smiles- Would folk wonder what I was up to? What if there were… Read more