I am married to Susan (Allender) and we have two grown daughters (Cristin and Miriam), two dogs, and two cats. I am the pastor of Graham Friends Church (http://grahamfriends.org, Graham, NC), the chaplain of the town’s Police Department, and a member of the Rotary Club (http://grahamrotaryclub.org).
The writer of the book of Hebrews was a great stylist. He knew how to work allusion and metaphor. His vivid references to Old Testament imagery and characters makes a pivotal turn as he moves from chapter eleven into twelve. Chapter eleven is that seeming homage to the great hall of faith: from Abel through [...]
Ironically, Good Friday is the day Christians remember the passion of Jesus. It was on this day that he was beaten and crucified and laid in the tomb. Despite the darkness and the sadness of Jesus’ death, it is a very good day indeed. It makes us realize with cruel clarity how much God loved [...]
The worldwide Church celebrates Maundy Thursday this evening. It is a day that commemorates the last meal that Jesus had with his disciples, and the new commandment or mandate (mandatum novum, from which we got the now archaic word “Maundy”) he gave them: “love one another.” After what he knew would be his last meal [...]
The members of Saint John’s Lutheran Church, Asheboro, voted on February 22, 2012, to call me as their first North American Lutheran Church pastor. I will be ordained and installed on Sunday, May 6th at 2pm, at Saint John’s Lutheran Church, 505 South Park Street, Asheboro, NC 27203. Susan and I, and the members of Saint [...]
January 31, 2012 – 5:58 am
Below are five talks that Dr. James Wagner gave on “The Art of Letting Go.” Letting Go of Our Children (42:07) Letting Go of Our Parents (33:26) Letting Go of Our Younger Selves (31:13) Letting Go of Our Illusions (32:14) The Final Letting Go (39:52) Here is a Sermon that Dr. Wagner preached at Graham [...]
December 29, 2011 – 9:30 am
You will not need flash cards and you will not need to take tests. You will however, learn The Lord’s Prayer in the language of the New Testament, Koine Greek. You will also learn part of John 1 and Revelation 1. Along the way, you will learn the Greek alphabet, many Greek words, how to [...]
December 24, 2011 – 9:37 am
Here is this year’s Christmas photo and letter… xx
December 21, 2011 – 9:51 pm
When I was a boy, we always had Christmas morning at home with just my immediate family — mom, dad, my three sisters, and me. But on Christmas Eve…oh! on Christmas Eve, that is when Christmas really happened. At 5 o’clock or so, we would gather at Grandma and Grandpa Ryman’s house for dinner. The [...]
December 21, 2011 – 8:03 am
I went to the local Walgreens to pick up Christmas photos and a Texas Roadhouse gift card. They did not have Roadhouse gift cards but they did have my 100 photos, and I might add that they were very nicely printed. That Walgreens does a great job with prints. But I still needed the gift [...]
October 17, 2011 – 5:50 am
Reflections on the Expository Lectionary, October 17-23, 2011 Monday Morning Luke 7:1-10 Peter will encounter a Roman centurion named Cornelius in Sunday’s text. Jesus had also met a commander of 100 Roman soldiers in this morning’s reflection. The centurion whom Jesus met had a sick servant and sent some Jewish elders to Jesus, asking him [...]