True leadership at ECPC is found in the “hidden” places—the wilderness of the Psalms, the subterranean work of the soil, and the private grit of the rock climber, hiker, and/or mountaineer. We believe that God reveals the secrets of the Kingdom not to the self-assured or the “wise and understanding,” but to those who embrace […]

What is greatness? 1 But according to God 2    When Michael Jordan began his professional sports career he was projected to be a symbol of unparalleled POWER! The NBA was banking on MJ being the face of the league, and there was hefty hype that Jordan would popularize the sport unlike any player who came […]

My friend Mae told me that her favorite part of the Bible is Psalm 46. So I read Psalm 46. And I especially imagined the part where it says, “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God.” And then I thought what Isaiah said, “I will extend peace to you like […]

Psalm 104

Someone recently sent out a manifesto. It’s an ECPC Leadership Manifesto. Here’s how it begins, “The leadership culture at ECPC is not modeled after the American market-driven church, nor is it built on the pursuit of “visual success.” Instead, we are committing ourselves to the Enigmatic Value System of Jesus of Nazareth. This is a […]

Elder 1: Ezra is moving up on my list of favorite characters in the OTElder 2: Me too! #Neh.8 – – – > Nehemiah and Ezra said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.” For all the people wept as they heard the words […]

Chris Vaughn told me about a book by Virginia Evans called “The Correspondent.” I listened to this book last week. Did I like this book? YES. Am I going to quote excerpts from this book now? YES. “I know you know this, but I want to repeat that when someone(s) treats you poorly, it is […]

I was working on a planTo disappear completelyGaslighting my friendsInto thinkin’ I was busy ‘Cause you’re gonna fix itYou’re gonna patch it up‘Cause honey we’re fragileYou’ve always been so toughYou know that I’ve missed youYou always come running backWhenever I askWhenever I ask ::: Roadkill fawn, you said how sadLeft to rot alone like thatYou […]

I grew up pretending sticks were little gunsI would point ’em at my dad and he’d get mad ’cause God forbid I hurt someoneI’d hurt anyone I couldAnyone who got too close, anyone who wouldn’t lookI was born into a one-hundred-year stormFoot of ice across Vermont, and in that dark, and in that frost a […]

Once upon a time there was a guy named Jonas. Jonas had a queer[1] upbringing. Jonas’ dad was a fella named Sufjan Stevens,[2] and his mom was a gal named Salem. Jonas didn’t see much of his ma growing up because she was incarcerated for multiple counts of identity theft and heroin. Sufjan raised Jonas […]