Remembering Buechner

August 16, 2022.Reading time 3 minutes.

Stopping for a moment to read these words. This old, yellowed quote from Frederick Buechner has been on the wall of every office study I’ve had for 30+ years. What’s YOUR favorite Buechner quote? (Copy/paste it in the comments…) I can’t even begin to calculate the numbers of times I’ve quoted Buechner in sermons, Sunday […]

August 16, 2022.Reading time 51 minutes.

Eulogy for Pat FolkerthAugust 13, 2022 On behalf of my sisters, Dianne and Linda, and all our families…we are so very grateful to all of you for being here at this service to honor our Mother. It means so much to see you all. And a big “thank you” to Revs Ann Willett and Blair […]

Your Inner Good Samaritan

July 11, 2022.Reading time 20 minutes.

“AND…WHO AM I?” This is the unspoken question the religious lawyer quizzing Jesus never asks. I really wish he had. Because I need the answer to this question, and so do you. I’m talking about the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Every time I preach on that parable —as happened yesterday— I’m struck by a […]

I am going down with the ship.

June 25, 2022.Reading time 9 minutes.

“I am going down with the ship.” I can’t speak for everyone. I can only speak for me. I can’t fault any other choice anyone else might make.All I am saying is: If Texas goes down, I’m going down with it.To the bitter end. I’m here to stay and I’m ready to fight. Ever since […]

What Divorce Professionals Can Teach the UMC

June 7, 2022.Reading time 18 minutes.

For some years, I’ve been telling you I sensed a “split” was coming in the UMC, but that I couldn’t predict just how that would happen. Ideally, a split would be affected by an orderly process, authorized by the General Conference. But, as all Methodists know, that meeting is again delayed Nature abhors a vacuum, […]

News About Our Mom

March 22, 2022.Reading time 4 minutes.

Dear Friends and Family, We want to give you an update on our mother, Pat Folkerth. We know this will come as a shock and surprise to most of you. Mom has been diagnosed with both acute dementia and advanced colon cancer. She has lost significant weight over the winter months and it is now […]

Once Upon A Time

September 25, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

Today, all over America, fans will pour into stadiums to watch their favorite college teams.In many locales —urban and rural, in Red and Blue states— fans will submit to a “clear bag” rule, and possibly even a scan or search of their person, as they enter the stadium. At no time today, anywhere across our […]

Garden Cafe is Back!

September 19, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

Of all the things I’ve done during this pandemic, I am most personally proud of working to help get Garden Cafe back open. One of the things that most makes our neighborhood the special place it is, is the ability to simply walk over to one of the finest restaurants in the city. Mark Wootten […]

An Acceptable Ending in Afghanistan

September 9, 2021.Reading time 5 minutes.

Earlier, I suggested that we reevaluate Hurricane Ida through the long term lens that “the levees held,” and see that fact as a deeply hopeful moment. As America readies itself for the 20th Anniversary of 911, we can do the same thing with the Afghanistan withdrawal. — America’s longest war, costing trillions of dollars, and […]

Faithspotting: Echo, Part 1

May 17, 2021.Reading time 1 minute.

Pretty excited to be a part of this podcast, with friends Kenny Dickson and Mike Hatch. Since I’m both a songwriter and preacher, they invited me to to talk about the great documentary “Echo in the Canyon.”It traces the roots of an amazing tradition of music in the iconic “Laurel Canyon” area of LA. Listen […]