James Derkits

I love reading scripture. That may seem like a cliche coming from someone in my line of work, but it hasn't always been the case, so I feel I can say it now with some authenticity. I've experienced what it is like to not love scripture. I've been disillusioned, felt betrayed by it, and disdained scripture at times on my spiritual journey. Perhaps that honest and rocky path is what I needed to return to it with new eyes; like a lover's quarrel leading to greater appreciation of what could have been lost.  Sometimes, though, I have to remind myself that I love scripture, particularly when it speaks a deep truth to me I am not ready to hear. Someone recently described our current state (living with the reality of COVID-19) as a, "slow grinding of the spirit." It is a painful thing to endure--there are a lot of unknowns which lead to anxiety. One of the readings for a recent Sunday was from Romans. In it, St. Paul writing to a church he has not met, but knows abou...

I will with God's help. It was only as I began my drive back from North Carolina on Sunday that I learned our nation was on fire. I drove up there for a very quick trip to help my parents get settled in for the summer, and Eli was my traveling companion. When I let Laura know our travel plans to return, she said I should pay attention to the curfews in Atlanta and Houston. (?!) That's when I started trying to catch up with the news feed. Oh, wow! On our journey, Eli and I listened to a story on NPR's Code Switch called, "A Decade of Watching Black People Die."  In order to begin to understand George Floyd's death (may he Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory) I thought Eli should, we should, hear from black people about the deaths we are witnessing, and to try to hear their perspective. It seems like George Floyd's death at this time during this pandemic with this political climate has led to the explosion we are witnessing--we are experiencing--in our c...