The Care of Creation

On Christmas Eve, 1776, my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Joshua Davis, purchased some land south of Aycock Swamp in what is now Wayne County, NC. The American revolution had begun, and there was no way of knowing when or how it would end. In 1781, General Cornwallis marched his troops from Wilmington into Virginia, towards what would be […]

The Use of Creation

I don’t think Pa Davis would have cared too much about the last post I published, where I suggested we all pause in our work, go outside, and stare at the sky. Pa, my great-grandfather, was a farmer his whole life, and as much as he loved being outside in the fields and forests, he […]

Holy Bread, Wonder Bread: part three

(This is part three of a three part series. Part One can be found here. Part Two can be found here.) John 6:56-69 Between 1906 and the start of World War II there were over 3,000,000 diagnosed cases of Pellagra in the USA, resulting in over 100,000 deaths. Scientists were baffled, until one […]

Holy Bread, Wonder Bread: part two

(This is part two of a three part series. Part One can be found here. Part Three can be found here.) John 6:51-58 Starting around the turn of the twentieth century, there was an epidemic of a disease called pellagra. Mostly forgotten now, it was an epidemic that lasted roughly 40 years. The […]

Holy Bread, Wonder Bread; part one

(This is part one of a three part series. Part two can be found here. Part three can be found here.) John 6:35, 41-51 Growing up, I would estimate we ate cornbread with at least four meals a week. I bet I ate more cornbread than actual bread. On special occasions we would […]

When Church Is Canceled

Today at lunch, my wife asked me a question across the table: “What are you going to do this week?” “I have no idea,” I said. “I need to think about it.” I literally lost sleep over the decision, but last Friday I sent out a message to my congregation: all church events […]

Saving Souls or Saving Bees?

I have often said that you cannot write a job description for a pastor. In the seven years now that I have been in pastoral ministry, I have been with families as their loved ones passed from this world into the next, I have played games and made crafts with kids, I have stirred stew […]

Christians Should Care About Creation

I was a quiet and well-behaved kid, for the most part. I kept to myself, read a lot of books, and always tried to follow the rules. It was out of character for me, then, and quite audacious, when I told my second-grade teacher, “You’re wrong about that.” It was in a science lesson […]