brookmcbrideJul 24, 20254 min readThe Church Showdown in Wagner and Why it Captured my 8-yr-old Heart! When I was a little guy of about 8, we moved to a town in South Dakota called Wagner. My dad was a United Methodist pastor, and I really...
brookmcbrideJun 19, 20254 min readRelearning the 7-year-old Belly Laugh Prayer: It's a Matter of Life and Death! I don’t know what I’d do without my Tuesdays! On Tuesday I meet with my staff and tell life stories of last week’s ministries, strategize...
brookmcbrideJun 13, 20253 min readDad's Last VisitIt was 2 in the morning and Cyndy and I (now with 2 kids) were living in Coppell, Tx...a suburb just north of Dallas. I had just started...
brookmcbrideJun 6, 20253 min readHow my Crush on Trevor Noah helped me Understand Pentecost!This Guy is My Hero! Confession time! I kind of have a man crush on the South African comedian Trevor Noah! Maybe it’s just because he is...
brookmcbrideMay 29, 20254 min readLearning to Survive and Thrive by Renaming Yourself! Are You a Good Name Caller? Are you a good name caller? I hope so! Let me explain! When I was in 4th grade there was a bully who got a...
brookmcbrideMay 22, 20254 min readPaying Attention to the Nature of "tri-incidences"THE POWER OF 3 IN GOD'S WORLD One of my favorite worship leaders is Mark Miller. I love not only singing and listening to the...
brookmcbrideMay 15, 20252 min readSleepless Nights OK. Be gentle, now! A couple of nights ago I was up in the night and I started working on this poem. As I was gnawing on it, I pondered...
brookmcbrideMay 8, 20253 min readMom Your Were Spot On! Thank You! When I was in 2nd grade I had an amazing teacher. One day she heard news that an endangered bird called “the Whooping Crane” was spotted...
brookmcbrideMay 2, 20252 min readLiving in the “In-betweenness” of EasterWe are all “in-between”. In his letter to the church at Rome, Paul writes this: “cr eation has been groaning as in the pains of...
brookmcbrideApr 24, 20255 min readLearning to Embrace a Lifelong PregnancyI've been reading a great book called "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri. It is a beautiful story of a family from India who move to the...
brookmcbrideApr 17, 20254 min readA Dark Green Dryer Ball, an 8-Yr-Old, and a New Easter Tradition? I’ve always loved baseball. But my relationship with baseball has had some ups and downs in my life. As a little kid I remember yearning...
brookmcbrideApr 10, 20254 min readThe Real Reason I Love Palm Sunday If you know anything about me, you will know this: I absolutely love Palm Sunday. Part of this comes from my adoration for our friend the...
brookmcbrideApr 3, 20254 min readBaptisms, Really Weird Rituals, and Learning to Shout, “No!”I am so excited! This morning, I got a call and someone from our church wants to be baptized! Isn’t that wonderful?!?! If there’s one...
brookmcbrideMar 27, 20254 min readLearning to Pray/Balance in a different WayBEFORE YOU READ PLEASE CLICK HERE AND WATCH THIS VIDEO I've been reading Danielle Shroyer's book "Original Blessing" and some things she...
brookmcbrideMar 21, 20252 min readLearning a new spiritual practice during spring training?Ok, truth be told, I love the Seattle Mariners, but that’s not why Cyndy and I try to go to Peoria, Arizona every 3 years. Actually, I...
brookmcbrideMar 6, 20255 min readSEEING THROUGH THE RIGHT LENS: Don't let Christianity Turn into an Abusive Parent When I was a young pastor, one of my favorite jobs was being the associate pastor at a large United Methodist church in Mitchell, SD. I...
brookmcbrideFeb 28, 20253 min readMy Brother Erin, an "Alternative Narrative" I Wish You KnewMy brother, Erin, on a trip to Kenya with family I’ve been a little more than worried about my brother, Erin, lately. Erin is my next...
brookmcbrideFeb 20, 20254 min readParables, Palm Sunday, and the Super Bowl Halftime ShowDid any of you catch it? No not the super bowl! I mean, let’s face it, that was a huge disappointment. No, no, no. I’m talking about the...
brookmcbrideFeb 14, 20254 min readBest Practices Picked Up from Fly Ladies, Sufi Poets, and a Lonely OwlHow do we keep loving the world in such an unloving time? What I find to be important in these times is to develop a ritual of self-care....
brookmcbrideFeb 7, 20253 min readLearning to Survive the Avalanche(Note: the insight for this writing comes from a wonderful colleague of mine, Rev. Janelle Kurtz. I want to thank her for her amazing...
