Dear Rose Park
This Sunday, June 19, my cousin Tyler Brinks will be ordained as a Minister of Word & Sacrament during morning worship at Kirk in the Hills Presbyterian Church in Bloomfield Township, Michigan. He graciously asked me to write a charge that his dad, Kevin, will read at the end of the service. I am so grateful to be apart of this service, albeit from a distance. As I wrote the charge for Tyler, I started to reflect on my own ordination and the charge that was read.
Dear Rose Park,
General Synod is both an event and a body of people. The event is a once-a-year gathering that shapes the direction of the denomination. The body of people who gather for the annual event make up one of the four assemblies of the Reformed Church in America. From June 9-14, delegates from around the U.S. and Canada will come together in Pella, Iowa, for General Synod. They will worship together, fellowship, and deliberate and vote on many things related to the RCA’s ministry.
Dear Rose Park,
My son and daughter love to play; this probably comes as no surprise to you all. They are filled with energy and love to use their imagination. Whether it’s chasing the ‘bad guys’ in the backyard, hosting a tea-party surrounded by their favorite stuffed-animals, or jumping into the pool, Simon and Winnie simply love to play.
Dear Rose Park,
This Saturday I’ll board a plane to Bozeman, Montana by way of Denver, Colorado. I’ll stay with a college friend on Saturday, hear that same college friend preach on Sunday morning, and then drive 5 hours to my final destination of Kalispell, MT. I’ll be there for a week doing work with my doctorate cohort; I’m looking forward to the trip, but packing a suitcase is never fun.
Dear Rose Park,
1 Happy are those
who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees
planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.
Dear Rose Park,
Throughout scripture we encounter a repeated theme: the path of the righteous and the path of the foolish. On this Wednesday of Holy Week we are abruptly met with Judas and his willingness to forego an eternal relationship with Christ in order to gain immediate gratification on the path of the foolish.
