Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org My father is a veteran of the Korean war. My grandfather is a veteran of WWI. My grandfather was only 16 when he served. He lied about his age because he wanted to be in the armed forces. Like other little boys, I often asked my father what he…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org If you want to know what wakes me up at 3:00 am, it is a congregation that is trying to do something (call a pastor, sell land, build an addition, etc.) and they can’t because they are waiting for the presbytery to take action; they are waiting on the…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org I was on the freshman high school wrestling team. I wanted to wrestle because my oldest brother was district champion in his weight class. While on the team I learned wrestling techniques: takedowns, escapes, reversals, and more. But in the back of my mind was a question that the…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org Every now and then I see a film and just say, “Wow!” Last week I watched the documentary, My Octopus Teacher. It is a film about a relationship that develops between the film director and an octopus! The film shows how this alien water creature, whose brain is 200…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org We all contain invisible parts of ourselves, parts that are not apparent, or displayed. This doesn’t mean we should fear what we cannot see. Our hidden self may need to be coaxed to the surface, or persuaded that it is safe to show itself, and come out to play.…
Rev. Dr. Craig M Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org Moses told this (message of God’s deliverance) to the Israelites. But they didn’t listen to Moses, because of their complete exhaustion and their hard labor. Exodus 6:9 CEB It happened again. I’m somewhere in hour number 4 of Zoom meetings. My eyes are aching. A slight headache is forming. I have three…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org Last night I participated in a webinar with the poet David Whyte. I was introduced to Whyte’s poetry through my spiritual director. In anticipation of the event I purchased two of his books and listened to some of his poetry online. It is always a wonderful experience to hear…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org I have been doing dream work with my new spiritual director. This means cataloging my dreams by recordings or writing them down in the night or first thing in the morning. Dreams can be elusive. It is difficult to remember them clearly. Some believe this is because the conscious…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org I often say that Jesus was the worst evangelist! Instead of trying to attract followers with sugary words or a gentle tone, we hear Jesus saying, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want…
Blog Post by Rev. Dr. Craig M. Howard Presbytery Leader choward@glpby.org Last week we had our second Zoom presbytery gathering. It was an improvement in many ways over our first attempt in August. Worship with Daniel Ervin and Katheen Henrion was energic, creative, and spiritually enriching. Junie Ewing’s sermon was appropriate and edifying. The time with Ben Sanders created an…