Posts Categorized: Pastor’s Ponderings

Here is the liturgy that the Fossil free delegation will use at the evening worship after their first full day in Puerto Rico: We want to welcome you if you are feeling weary or feeling energized. We welcome you if environmental justice is brand new to you or has been on your heart for years…. Read more

Courage is one thing, Stupidity is anotherAnd knowing the difference Can make all the difference. Or can it really?Maybe courage requires faith, And maybe wisdom helps, And maybe wisdom comes from foolishness Sometimes. And maybe faith requires a vision, And maybe a vision Of what God’s kingdom looks like Requires having seen what the world… Read more

The cat woke me up Though there was food in her dish And water in her bowl. The ducks were content in their coop, The goats were playing across the road, And the cows were grazing in their field. The sun was steady, rising in time, The joggers were brisk on the trail. The birds… Read more

I took a straight road Between A and B, And saw an old oak upon a cutbank, A lonely road aimed beyond, But I could not go there, Not today. I saw a Wayfair, beside the river, But I could not linger, Not today. I saw a road ambling off, Its signpost name said covered… Read more

An orphaned kitten Stood on our stoop, Meowing loud enough To wake the dead.And we welcomed him. When he was a stranger, We fed him When he was hungry, We comforted him When he was lonely, Just like the Lord has done For us all. But our other cats were angry, They sulked by day… Read more

I pray thanksgiving That loved ones are marked safe From yesterday’s tornado- I pray thanksgiving For dozens of young Puerto Ricans Volunteering to till the soil, plant new plants, and Help raise fresh food to boost the islands economy- I pray thanksgiving For the teenagers in the Philippines, Each of whom will plant ten trees… Read more

  On a hot day in May I sat beneath the cypress tree, Gazing upward through the green- And the canopy, a million leaves. All at work so silently Turning sunlight into matter, Brought to mind a symphony Too glorious for Mozart, Too compelling for Beethoven, Too profound for Bach.       George R…. Read more

Suppose all we saw Were puppy pictures?   Suppose all we heard Was sweet?   Suppose all we noticed Was uplifting?   Suppose all we read Was quick, easy, And non-controversial?   Would the world be any better, Or would we know?       George R. Pasley May 14, 2019 Martin, TN

A day in the woods, Warm but not too hot, Without breeze But blessed by the song of birds And the roar of the chainsaw (and occasional curse) And barking dogs, The slither of snakes The bite of bugs, Abundant with poison ivy And never-ending work.   Yet, we count it blessing, A day in… Read more

You have not prayed If you have not prayed for rain Knowing it meant death If the rain refused to come.   I have not prayed for peace If I have not prayed While the blood still seeped From the child in my arms.   We have not prayed “Thy Kingdom come” If we have… Read more