Either things are coming together, or else they're falling apart... Or so says poet Peter Cole in "Song of Shattering Vessels". He suggests that nothing remains stagnant, and that we are always at the beginning or the end of something. Over the years, I come back to this poem (or it comes to me) again … Continue reading dis/integration
Author: LBK
I'm an openly queer ordained United Methodist serving in Santa Rosa, CA. Santa Rosa has an egregious shortage of affordable housing, and a growing population of unsheltered people. This crisis of inequality is exacerbated by the every lengthening (ever worsening) fire seasons that Northern California faces every fall.
In the spirit of John Wesley, who said, 'The world is my parish', it is my privilege to serve alongside my church folks in this rapidly-changing community. Much of that service is with and among the unsheltered people of our city, and with those who are struggling with mental illness and addiction.
Kobe and Rush, and truth and worthiness
Full disclosure: I have no real connection with either of these men. My appreciation for basketball has been a very recent phenomenon (so recent that its genesis is post-Kobe), and I have never (not once) tuned in to listen to conservative talk radio. Also, I am swimming in the same news cycle as everyone else. … Continue reading Kobe and Rush, and truth and worthiness
Made in Our Image
Every time I return to the beginning - to the "in the beginning" of Genesis 1 - I am surprised to find these words in verse 19: "Let us make humankind in our image." God's name may be "I am", but God's pronoun is "We are." It seemed all too fitting for preaching on an … Continue reading Made in Our Image
Future fires
Several nights in the last week, I've dreamt of fire. It was a return to childhood nightmares, except now they are populated with koalas and kangaroos, and undergirded with the grieved awareness that there are more fires to come. There was a time that Santa Rosa, CA was synonymous with the largest fire. Then, an … Continue reading Future fires
Post-epiphany
It's almost too on-the-nose to talk about Matthew 2 in our present moment. Read the Epiphany story for yourself, and think about it: A narcissistic puppet learns that his power is not absolute, and then, motivated by his own insecurity, he tries to bully others to take out his alleged competition. When he doesn't get … Continue reading Post-epiphany
New Year, new conviction
Tuesday night is On Tuesday night, First UMC Santa Rosa hosts Spirit Cafe, a dinner/worship service for anywhere between 90-190 folks (and 10-25 dogs). Most of our guests are experiencing homelessness, though some are housed. Many are food insecure, though some have strong social support networks. There are folks from a variety of racial, ethnic, … Continue reading New Year, new conviction
Parish on Fire 