Buzz, Sheldon, Brook, Israel, Gaza, and the Letting Go of Heavy Weights
I’ve been listening to a new podcast that Cyndy recommended called “Heavyweight”. Have you ever listened to it? I highly recommend it....
Rocks, Rituals, and Sweet
You probably don’t know this, but I have a secret ritual I practice every Sunday morning before I get to church. I’d like to share it...
Learning to Show Up
Have you ever visited the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.? If you haven’t, I highly recommend it. By the way you can...
What to Say (or not) When Someone is Grieving
My first appointment as a full-time pastor was the Geddes United Methodist Church. I was 29 years old and fresh out of seminary. The...
The Day I Threw This @*%#@* Thing in the Creek!
I’ve been pondering a deep thought this week. I’ve been reading John Caputo’s book “Hope against Hope” and in it he shares that there...
The Day Mom Asked Me Not to Call Her Mom
About 10 years ago, my mother was living with us, and because of that our relationship changed a bit. It used to be that we would go up...
Dolphins, Orcas, and 6 1/2-year-olds Preachers
It was literally the last day of the last week of the last month of summer. Cyndy and I, along with Cassie and Devon, and our...
Making Cookies
For most of my husband’s life, his mom made Christmas cookies for her kids. Even once the kids were all grown up and had kids of their...
God Standing at the Grave and Weeping? Protesting?
When I was a student pastor in East Texas, there was a community tragedy that occurred that changed the way I looked at God. Two little...
Learning to Pass on the 23rd verse of There Was a Great Big Moose: Abundance vs Scarcity at Camp
I have a friend who is a Native American. A part of the Lakota Tribe. When I visit with her she often talks about walking in two...
Finding God While Sitting Around and Plucking Blackberries
One of my all-time favorite poems is by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. I probably quote this one line at least 3 times a year in my...
Rain Dancing in Seattle?!?
Not many people know this outside of the PNW, but in the summer it rarely rains in Seattle! In fact here’s a snap shot of our 10 day...
From Beached to Breached: How to Get Unstuck!
I don’t think there is a person in the PNW who doesn’t dream of having their kayaking trip on the Sound interrupted by an orca or blue...
The Day My Youngest Son, Wes, Flew on his Bike!
I don’t know what’s going on with me, but ever since I turned fifty-five or so, I cry a lot! Every Friday night we take Emerson for the...
Borrowing Grandpa Rainey's Brain and Brian!
Last week Cyndy and I met Sam and Iris in New Orleans for some R and R. We had a great time taking in the unique culture of New Orleans....
The Places Mom Has Been and What We Can Learn
My mom moved into a Care Center yesterday. As I was writing her a note last night, so many memories flashed through my mind. I thought...
The Day Dad Stopped a Knife Fight, and a Scientific Explanation of What Prayer Does
When I was a kid about 11-years-old, I witnessed a miracle that I have never been able to explain until now. My dad, a pastor, got a...
Walking Through "Father Shadows" in Search for my "Dad"
This weekend is Father’s Day. A confusing day for many of us. It’s not that we don’t love our fathers, or want to honor them, but for...
A Pillow Fight with the Bishop?
This week Bear Creek is putting on our big Pentecost Sunday worship service. I know it’s two weeks late, but in some senses Pentecost,...

WELCOME TO "A NEW LOOK FROM BROOK"
Naturally Curious



















