This is the time of year when food is more central than usual. From Thanksgiving through Christmas there are many reasons family and friends gather at table to share food and life with one another. Given this emphasis, I've curated a top ten list related to food. Shown below are the top ten plates I've posted on Google, based on view count. For fairness to all restaurants, I've limited each establishment to a single picture (whichever plate had the highest view count). #10 - Calamari from Read More …
Fort Worth
Heading East (#2007)
In January 2018, my wife and I moved to downtown Fort Worth after purchasing a 4 story brownstone with amazing views of the city that is strategically located on the edge of downtown, adjacent to Panther Island, and not far from West 7th and Near Southside. Earlier this week my wife and I listed our home for sale so that we can relocate to the East. Giving Thanks Our current home is the eighth property we've owned that has also served as our primary residence. It was the first to be Read More …
Praise the Lord (#1987)
Passage for Reflection: Psalm 148 I grew up in the Presbyterian Church. We were an intellectual bunch who fit the stereotypical label: “frozen chosen.” No one spoke up in worship, and I could not imagine the liturgy being interrupted by an exuberant “praise the Lord” shouted from the pews. Now, I live in downtown Fort Worth, surrounded by large buildings of varying shapes and sizes connected by roads and sidewalks. The limited remaining undeveloped land is more likely to be occupied by a Read More …
Looking South – Looking Again (#1960)
In January 2018, my wife and I purchased a four story townhome on the Northwest corner of downtown Fort Worth, Texas. Our new home came with unobstructed views of downtown that we assumed would be temporary. The block immediately to our south and the majority of the next block were listed for sale as a parcel ideal for redevelopment. Plan A: Luxury Residential Tower It didn't take long for a developer to propose building a luxury residential high rise on the block immediately adjacent Read More …
Pandemic Worship: 10 Sacred Spaces (#1955)
A year before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I wrote "Visiting 50+ Churches in Dallas-Fort Worth," highlighting congregations I had worshipped with since relocating to Texas from Florida. When the pandemic started, I stopped attending worship in person. After experiencing a full year of life without attending corporate worship, I gradually reentered that world. March 7 - I attended my first outdoor worship serviceMarch 14 - I attended my first indoor worship service Now, seven Read More …
25 Years, 25 Positions – One Purpose (#1951)
Earlier this week I shared some Labor Day Reflections. In the days since writing that post, I've done some additional reflecting on my own experience of work with a focus on my work since 1996. Over the last 25 years, I've worked for 15 different employers in 25 different positions (excluding short-term work as coach or consultant,). I've often changed roles once joining an organization, achieving four titles once, three titles twice, and two titles twice. And, I've often worked for Read More …
My First Complete In Person Worship Experience (#1942)
Until March 2020, I took for granted that nearly every Christian congregation would offer a weekly in person worship experience that would include congregational singing and musical worship leadership by a choir, orchestra, and/or a praise band. Starting in March 2021, I began to learn experientially about the many ways congregations are moving toward a "new normal" or "next normal." During the first two months Mainline Protestant congregations in the Dallas - Fort Worth area were Read More …
Pandemic Regathering: 8 Experiences (#1929)
When I first learned about COVID-19, I had no idea what to expect. In March 2020 when in person gatherings of all kind were discontinued, I never imagined it would be more than a year before I would next set foot in a sanctuary to worship alongside other followers of the Way of Jesus (I even blogged about the extended wait in posts like 6 Months Without In Person Worship and 10 Months Without In Person Worship). The First 8 Weeks My journey back to indoor worship and to intentionally Read More …
New Beginnings at First Presbyterian (Fort Worth) (#1928)
First Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) has been a part of the Fort Worth community for 148 years. Originally established in 1873, this urban congregation moved to its current location in 1956. Like many congregations, it ceased all indoor gatherings early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike most congregations, it also completed a search for a new pastor and head of staff during the pandemic. On February 7, 2021, the congregation elected the Rev. Dr. Brian Coulter to serve as its next pastor Read More …
Looking Again (#1873)
I'm spending some time today reflecting on my experiences over the last year. As part of that exercise, I've selected ten photos to share. I took each of these photos in either Dallas or Fort Worth using my phone. I invite you to take a few minutes to really look at both groups of photos. The first group offers a mix of city views alongside natural and cultural images. The second group presents two photos from within the walls of local congregations followed by two taken Read More …