The Forest Through the Trees

One of the disciplines I embraced during my 30+ years as a Christian Pastor was the challenge to write a monthly Pastoral Letter to the members of my Parish. I don’t know how many my “folks” ever read them, but I know that I truly enjoyed the effort it took to write them. It’s good for the soul and the mind to write out how you feel about things. Maybe you should try it! So I was thinking, - as I just turned 70 and all (Wow! 70?), if I were to die tomorrow, what would I be leaving behind? Let's see, there's my Camaro SS, my Harley Dyna-Wide, a few bills, my Garden Tractor, my tools, etc. So maybe, I thought, I should leave something a little more substantial, - something that might give a "whiff" of the "scent" of all those years that I poured myself into my Parishes, - all the joys, the sacrifices, the frustrations, the laughs, the heartaches, the tears, the commitment, the love. And well, here it is. A collection of those monthly letters, in print, and on Amazon and no less! I guess that takes care of eternity. In truth, my hope is that this book of letters can help illuminate some of the gray areas of Christian ways, culture and tradition. I guess it’s like when I got my first set of glasses. Right away I said, "Wow! I can see again!" Its a really cool feeling, and I just hope that these musings of mine can some how help all of us see the wholeness of Christian life (and just plain old life itself) a little more clearly. Now, beyond the letters, I have included some other little gifts as well. So hey, if you are maybe feeling a little daring, give it try. Maybe you'll find something in here that you like. If not, hey whatever, - at least you gave it a shot, - and I appreciate it. May you find many unexpected joys and mysteries in your travels. JJ