A PERSONAL PRAYER God, sometimes, when I think about the future, I get anxious. I have worries about kids and grandkids. I fret about stuff at work. I have fears about health. I worry about money and have anxiety about our country and our world. I know those fears are natural and very human, but I don't think the attitude of the Christian toward the future should be fear. I know that you are at work all around me, and your kingdom is growing and emerging whether I see it or not. And as Paul says in Romans, [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, It is hard to lose someone you love. I remember when I lost my first friend, Steve, in high school. And my sister Laura a few years later. And my sister Patti. And all of those grandparents I knew and loved. I am grateful that my parents are still alive. I never want to be preoccupied with death - either my own or that of loved ones. I know that you are concerned about growing your Kingdom on earth rather than your children making it to heaven. Nonetheless, I do wonder. Are these people [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, I thank you for making me who I am. You remind me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, made with a purpose to give you glory. You tell me that you have planted within me spiritual gifts, awakened by the Holy Spirit at work within me. You have formed and shaped me with relationships and experiences, all with a purpose in mind. But too often, instead of claiming that identity, I try to be someone I am not. I try to be just like people I admire. I twist myself around to be [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God of love, Sometimes my life feels so fragmented. I am pulled in many directions, and I search for some way to tie the pieces all together. Too often, God, I confine you to only one part of my life. I box you into conversations about faith and belief and leave you out of decisions that are more mundane or pragmatic. But you are to be my guiding hand in all of it. I want to surrender all of it to you: everything I do, everything I think, every relationship I have, every hour I [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, So many problems seem so intractable. So much of the world caught in poverty. So many families struggling with conflict. So many people devastated by wars. So many people living in ways that are destructive to self and others. So many people with broken relationships. So many people filled with hatred for others. So many people not knowing God's love in Jesus. God, you call me, if I believe in you, to "do the works that you do," (John 14:12), and to "bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim [...]

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, I am always listening to hear if you are calling me to something significant, something world-changing. Maybe I can write a world-changing sermon, and lead a world-changing mission. Maybe I can build an organization to end hunger or bring about world peace. God, I don't know if I am missing something or not paying attention, but I seldom hear such a call. The call I do hear is far less grandiose, but perhaps more significant. It is the daily call to be kind to my neighbor, to share my love with a friend, to [...]

In my sermon on 9/15/19, I mention having substantive conversations with others regarding difficult issues in a way that is respectful, focuses on issues rather than demonization, and helps us learn about how those who disagree with us come to their points of view. In publishing this paper together, Chap Temple and I have sought to model that process. I hope you can learn something about how people with two different perspectives view same-sex marriage in the church. Tom Pace A Pastoral Conversation Regarding Same-Sex Marriage and the Church

A PERSONAL PRAYER God, As always, I need your help. Holy Spirit, fill my whole self and guide me. Give me a courageous voice to speak the truth as I see it, and the wisdom to know when to keep silent. Give me ears to hear, and a mind that is truly open to listen. Give me a heart that feels, and honest empathy for others. Give me eyes to see the world through the eyes of my brother or sister. Give me hands that serve both friend and enemy, and the commitment to make a difference rather [...]