July Pastoral Letter

July 1, 2026 Each morning, I start my day with reading. First comes scripture, along with prayer, followed by books that are helpful for life and ministry. The last few days, I’ve been reading Leadership and the Sin of Empathy. Most would be surprised to hear the words “empathy” and “sin” placed together in this …

Praying in Jesus’s Name

Recently, the City Manager of Carlsbad, California, forbade a chaplain from invoking the name of Jesus in their prayers. Supposedly, the order would have allowed any other name but Jesus. A chaplain could have used Allah, Jehovah, etc., just not Jesus. Of course, this is unconstitutional and won’t even pass muster in the 9th Circuit. …