Gayle

Israel / Palestine Trip – Day Two

2020/01/21 Gayle 0

Stardate: January 20, 2020 It rained. I mention it because it somehow relates to the purification for visiting holy sites Rami talked about. Perhaps yesterday was a means of purification to be ready and willing to hear, see and experience this place where we are. As I was preparing for this trip many people called it a pilgrimage, or they spoke of walking where Jesus walked, of the specialness of the place. To be honest, none of those things played a role for me. Sure, I wanted to see things for myself. I wanted to touch the stones, to see the places I have learned about my whole life, but from a stoic, intellectual way. After all, it’s just a place. If you have taken The rest of the story

Israel / Palestine Trip – Day One

2020/01/20 Gayle 0

I traveled to Israel and Palestine in January 2020. This is my journal as I recorded it during the trip. At times it may ramble. At times it may be less than coherent (I was tired – physically, mentally, and spiritually) but, I welcome you to journey with me on these two weeks. Stardate: January 19, 2020 I’m not sure what I am thinking about the trip so far. Nothing has been as expected. I was surprised at how green everything is. I expected so much brown, but it is quite a beautiful green space. I understand, as Jared said this is the rainy season. The first view of the city was breathtaking! I have been amazed by the world’s oldest cemetery and hope we The rest of the story

Silent Night

2018/12/12 Gayle 0

Silent Night was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 at St Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, a village in Austria. The organ had broken and a young priest, Father Joseph Mohr, in a panic to keep the Christmas Eve service going took a poem he had written “Stille Nacht” brought the words to Franz Xaver Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the Christmas Eve mass. According to Gruber, Karl Mauracher, an organ builder who serviced the instrument at the Obendorf church, was enamoured with the song, and took the composition home with him. He became the “Johnny Appleseed” of Silent Night, teaching it in the many churches where he serviced organs. I heard this story this morning in a The rest of the story

Branches

2017/03/29 Gayle 0

Yesterday I preached for the Harbor District Lay Servant Ministries Committee. Here’s my sermon: I have a confession. I am a horrible gardener! I can, and do kill most any plant – I either love it too much or not enough I either cut it back too far or let it grow out of control I am not proud to say…..I can kill mint! In our scripture today is John 15: 1-8 (reading from the common English bible) “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vineyard keeper. 2 He removes any of my branches that don’t produce fruit, and he trims any branch that produces fruit so that it will produce even more fruit. 3 You are already trimmed because of the word I have spoken The rest of the story

Comfort over Action

2017/03/07 Gayle 0

I was tasked with presenting a sermon in prophetic voice. Here it is: