Pastor's Blog

We have several people leaving the staff after a long tenure, the first being Lyndon Ratliff. Lyndon was the first person I ever hired at Christ Lutheran back in 1998. He first came in as our custodial and maintenance person, helping with everything from set up to minor repairs to cleaning. After his initial retirement, he stayed on with the staff to help with evening security and lock up. For 25years, Lyndon has been a fixture at Christ Lutheran — dependable, trustworthy, and forever welcoming to all. Happy Retirement, Lyndon!‍

In October 2001, after only four years since returning to Apple as CEO, Steve Jobs introduced a consumer product to the masses that, in his words, didn’t just “change the way we listened to music, it changed the entire music industry.”

On behalf of the Youth Director Call Committee and the Personnel Committee, I’m excited to announce that we have hired TWO people to take the lead on our middle and high school youth ministries! Tyler Weller will be the new Youth Director and Natalya Legvold will be the new Youth Ministry Advisor!

We are hosting a concert for Tasha Layton, a national contemporary Christian artist on Friday, October 27th at 7pm. We are so excited to have her coming to Christ Lutheran to share her talents.

I have been gardening for 15 years. I have cross pollinated my own plants and crafted a sub-species tailored to my ideal tomato. But ever since I’ve come to the South my tomatoes have struggled with various diseases. The South is a ruthless place because it never gets cold enough to kill all the things that want to kill my tomatoes. 

Oh the chaos. School is out and the chaos was beginning to mount and then it all disappeared. My two oldest went off to camp. And with them went all the noise and scattered socks and shoes. No more coming out from their room because they couldn’t sleep. Ne’ery an argument over a video game. My youngest was an only child. Peace.

In last week’s blog post, Deacon Kenny informed our congregation that he will continue his pastoral journey with a congregation in Northern Virginia. We thank God, and Kenny, that he has served us so well throughout his ten-month internship at Christ Lutheran. We will miss him, but we know that he is embarking on the path that God set forth for him. Blessings to Kenny, his wife, and his ministry.

You all have heard me share in worship many times; I have been on a journey of discernment over the past year of my life which led me to you in response to God’s call by switching rosters from a Deacon to a Pastor. The discernment has continued during my internship with you, discerning where God is calling me to serve, once I complete my internship and coursework. It is with a sense of sadness, fear, excitement, and hopefulness that I share with you my decision to not pursue a pastoral call here at Christ Lutheran Church.

That’s The Council and Personnel Committee have always been very generous and supportive of the well being of the staff. For those on Leadership Team, they provide time for a sabbatical of 6weeks every five years. This time away is not just an extended vacation but a time of education or writing or spiritual renewal or wellness.

That’s the latest term you know – “May-Cember”? And I for one am feeling it. December IS crazy each year with family obligations, Christmas parties, and everything else wrapping up another calendar year.

Here is my first world problem for you. My house is being remodeled, and the guys who reseated or sealed or magically mounted my toilet failed to do a proper job. So now to use the bathroom I have to go down the stairs and around the corner, in my own house! How privileged to have multiple bathrooms in my house so that when one fails, I am only as disturbed as a walk down and up the stairs?!

Harvard Business School has isolated a point in a company’s lifespan when they are no longer managing for growth but rather managing for decline.

I recently attended a workshop that was all about Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2018) and Generation Alpha (those born after 2018) and how these generations are communicating and interacting with the world.

Death is a topic about which relatively few people know how to converse gracefully, and likely with good reason:

“We have to go to church today.” Those are the words of my 12-year-old son to his mother. “We have to go to church” he continues “because I’m needed.”