Staff Blog

IDENTITY

By Seth Gatchell | November 14, 2017

Looking in the mirror, who do I think I see? Do I see the real me? Or who you too see me? I think I also see a man still on the mend, Am I really all three? Quite a confusing blend!   I also see myself, the person I aspire. But often falling short,…

The Soldier

By Seth Gatchell | October 4, 2017

THE SOLDIER   October 4, 2017   The soldier loved gambling, the rolling of the dice, Breaks up monotony, though a fool’s paradise. “A God-forsaken land, a thousand miles from home, At discharge will I have post-traumatic syndrome?”   Punishment here, severe, death for two lousy thieves, Was the third one sentenced for just what…

Damaged

By Lance Brown | October 3, 2017

I was boating over the summer with some friends up at Lake Powell. The second or third day we were there, I hit a submerged rock at about 30 miles per hour. It bent the propeller severely, and the drive shaft a little bit as well. When we got back and I took the boat…

The Silver Lining of Loneliness

By Seth Gatchell | September 14, 2017

THE SILVER LINING OF LONELINESS   A sense of loneliness is inevitable. It’s so disconcerting, and so irritable. Can any one person fill the deepest caverns? Can spoonfuls of water fill the deepest cisterns?   Loneliness isn’t “bad,” not a “problem to solve.” Awakens deeper needs, mysteries to resolve! When we expect others, their love…

Everybody Deserves To Have A Friend

By Sarah Cristiano | September 12, 2017

      Everybody deserves to have a friend.  Friends are a huge part of going back to school.   I remember that it was really fun to reconnect with good friends, meet new friends and oh yes to find out who is in my class who I am sitting next to.  These social elements at…

Poem: The Inheritance

By Seth Gatchell | July 31, 2017

THE INHERITANCE   August 1, 2017   A poor, elderly couple sat in the office Of a middle aged attorney’s legal practice. The reading of the will, as they sat in posh chairs, A filthy-rich man just made them millionaires!   The lawyer had known the deceased for many years, Whose passing brought the lawyer…

TWO FISHERMEN

By Seth Gatchell | July 6, 2017

TWO FISHERMEN   July 6, 2017   A small boat glides into my still and quiet cove, Two young teens, hoping to add to their fishing trove. Baited fishing hooks and lures hang from a pole, It’s quiet, the hunt begins, they are on patrol.   The fish sees nothing of lures and hooks, rods…

Words of Wisdom for my Daughter

By Mark | July 5, 2017

This past Sunday I listed out 20 “words of wisdom” for my daughter Charlotte. I wrote these with the idea of Solomon writing Proverbs for his son and thought it would be a fun exercise. A few people after service asked if I would share that list with them. So here it is: Charlotte: Pay…

“June ‘Gloom'”

By Seth Gatchell | June 14, 2017

Last week, I sat on our back patio at sunrise, sitting in the midst of June gloom. As Californians, June gloom means “the fog rolled in off the coast.” But more, I was struck by the term, “gloom.” I then wrote this poem… JUNE GLOOM   The fog rolls in off the coast, our Pacific…