God of Grace & Hope,
Creator of our blue and green globe.
Healer of our bodies and hearts.
Trusters of our ability to grow in empathy, generosity, & open-heartedness.
Lead us through this time of pain, aching, and fear.
Hold our hands as a new age filled with joy and laughter, justice, and love emerges through birth pains of fear, hate, and short-sightedness. Amen.
As we leave this Zoom, open your whole beings to the Holy Spirit who points the way forward. Call upon our rabbi Jesus who walked among us. Go in peace. Go in grace. Go in hope. Amen
Tim strives to share God’s extravagant love for all–no matter what & without strings. Seeking to follow the lure of the Spirit, Tim writes about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in an era where Christianity has come to be associated with hatred and political wedge issues. “Heinous things have been said & done (& still are) in the name of the One who breathed in the Divine,” notes Tim, “but Jesus shows us that God loves extravagantly.” Following the teachings and life of Jesus is about inclusion not exclusion. It is about compassion, grace, and admitting no one has all the answers. It is about responding lovingly to the best of our human ability. It is about people not institutions. It is about social justice. It is about caring for creation. It is about being who we were each created to be. Tim is a former early childhood educator, a runner, a hiker, a devoted husband, father of two adult children and their spouses, and a grandfather of four perfect grandchildren. Tim serves as Lead Pastor of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Albany, Oregon. He writes from home, from the coffee shop, and wherever the trail leads him.
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