James Derkits

Independence Day is the one of two secular holidays listed amongst our Holy Days, the other being Thanksgiving. It makes sense to me that as our church was established in the United States and our prayer book was gradually revised from the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer , that Independence Day would be included. I've heard stories of church goers taking a pen and scratching out prayers for the king once reestablished as, "The Episcopal Church," though I heard there were divisions amongst the clergy during the Revolution, as part of their ordination vows were to swear allegiance to the King of England, the head of the Church and State.  Our Prayer for July Fourth reads: Lord God Almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us, and lit the torch of freedom for nations then unborn: Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ ou...

Later this month I will celebrate being ordained for 20 years, which is staggering to me until I remember the churches I've served, and the many life-giving relationships I've had over the years. There have been challenges of course. As Sturgill Simpson sings, "Ain't all flowers...ain't all light."  That's true in any work, and ultimately I feel fortunate and that it is a privilege to have been called into this work of tending a cure of soul. One of my mentors advised me when I was discerning my calling: "You can't be a young priest if you wait until later in life to go to seminary..." He had been a young priest, which informed how he lived out his vocation as an older priest. I understood his meaning, so off I went.  Canterbury Cathedral When I graduated from seminary, I was interested in liturgical reform and finding fresh expressions of our ancient form of worship. I was never really into big flashy bands or use of the newest technology in...

          The recent death of my mentor The Rev. Murray Powell has led me to reminisce about the way he shaped me, along with other mentors in my life, including many teachers and professors along my earthly pilgrimage so far.  I met Murray in a smoky diner on the North Side of Houston before I went to seminary and I spent a lot more time with him after my ordination when I served at two parishes back in Houston.            The Rev. Murray Powell was ordained the same year I was born, so he had a lot of wisdom to share with me by the time I was ordained 29 years later.  He was never preachy or arrogant about it the wisdom he shared. It was much more about his welcoming presence and Murray just being himself. He was creative, a poetic sermon writer, and helped me see God at work in the midst of the world. When he served as vicar of Lord of the Streets, he taught me about respecting the dignity of every human bein...

I'm grateful for my field education parish and to The Rev. Betty McWhorter, the rector of St. Patrick's for teaching me so many things about living a faithful life as a parish priest. Of the many things that has stuck with me is remembering some of the Sundays of Easter. That's right, Easter Sunday is the first of seven Sundays in the 50-day-long season of Easter, and really there are eight, because Pentecost Sunday is the 50th day of Easter, when we remember the gift of the Holy Spirit to the church (the community called-out to be Christ followers.) Around Easter, she would grill me: "What is the fourth week of Easter?...What is the second week of Easter?" I came up with a simple little device: week 4 is Good Shepherd Sunday (sheep walk on 4 legs) and week 2 is Thomas Sunday (Thomas walks on 2 legs... ). It's silly, but it helped me remember. The whole beautiful season is about understanding the unbelievable experience of the disciples and others coming into ...

  Music has been central to my spiritual life since before I learned to play guitar. Both the songs we sang at camp each summer (and then introduced to my home church in East Texas) and discovering new bands, learning a different spiritual language that wasn't always churchy. music was formative to my young worldview helping me to grow in my understanding of God in my life and in our world.  I have been in several bands since I was in high school, and when I moved to Port Aransas in 2012, besides getting to know our congregations, I wanted to get to know the music scene, and find my place in it. I was fortunate to get to play at the Tarpon Ice House while it still existed, and on some of those late nights I learned the owner was  one of my flock!  I knew that in order to be myself and follow my calling, I needed to continue to play music not just in church as part of my life as a priest, but outside of church. I discovered I especially enjoy playing at that little pi...

Whether you are taking on a spiritual practice, or abstaining from something for the 40 days of lent, the season is about spending more time with God so that we can share Christ's love with others. Our Ash Wednesday service invites the church to self examination, repentance, prayer, fasting, self denial, reading and meditating on scripture, or alms giving. ( Book of Common Prayer p. 265) That list is offered to the whole church; I would encourage choosing one thing to adhere or holdfast to during the entire season. When you miss a day, or fall off your practice, simply start fresh the next day.  Often times we try to take on too many things at once, or feel shame when we stray from our practice. The point of the season is not to try to earn God's love or blessing, we have already been given that by virtue of our existence and Christ's sacrifice for the whole world. In the knowledge of God's love for us then, this season is a time to clear our some of the clutter and noi...

Sermon preached at Trinity by the Sea  Epiphany IV (Feb 1, 2026)Year A Eucharist Vision There are weeks when I wish I could preach a sermon that changes the world. I wish I could so craft a sermon, bearing the fruit of prayer and study, that I could open a window so that what Jesus taught would be seen so clearly that we might join in his vision of reality of existence called God’s kingdom, and realize his teaching in our lives, then so caught up in that new way to see the world we would go out from here as a body of visionary Jesus followers; we would heal the divisions of our country, and make sense of the absolute madness we seem to have descended into. There are weeks, and it seems there are seasons and perhaps years that I want to preach so, and then I remember I’m only human, that there’s a lot of competition out there and a lot of money marketing for our attention, and I sometimes from there, I fall into despair, and wonder if I even want to preach at all.  Such i...

I have a friend who is in her 90's who told me the story of when she her boyfriend eloped because they were of different Christian denominations and their parents forbade them to be wed. While that is not the only sort of "religion and relationship" I'm thinking of, it does illustrate a poor parental relationship for religious reasons. We often blame our bad decisions on religion even quoting bits of scripture to back up our agenda.  More broadly than the romantic relationship is importance of all our relationships. They are perhaps the most religious thing we can experience. Of course within this realm is our relationship with God. I heard a Bishop speak to a group of clergy and he taught about the greatest commandments: "'Love the God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and ...love your neighbor as yourself.' There are countless ways to love your neighbor, and only one way to love God." He looked at us allowing to worry that he might cal...

One of the beautiful features of our complex brains is that they help us find meaning. We are meaning-making creatures. The meaning making emerges through us in so many ways: in our story telling, through our artwork, and the way we communicate.  We can look at an oak tree and say, “I know a friend who is strong like that oak tree.” No one will wonder if your friend is made of wood, or flesh… At night, I look up at the stars and know them to be angels around God’s heavenly throne. When I mentioned that in my sermon this morning, no one stopped on the way out to ask if I didn’t understand that stars are scattered millions of lightyears apart and are formed of gasses burning so hot the fusion immits radiation and light, and their gravity holds them in the tension of galaxies... Angels. Messengers of God. Stars are singing angels. Last week on my Advent retreat, we walked, or really, stumbled around a hill country ranch littered with rocks and cactus. It was a moonless night with no f...

Gazing across the archeological site that was once Corinth (as in, St. Pauls' letter to the Corinthians... ) and seeing where St. Paul had been bound and on trial for spreading the Good News of God to the Followers of the Way, I gained a new appreciation for the history of what we call today Christianity. I'm not an expert in church history, but I've studied it along my journey. Some lament the divisions amongst our churches, and there is certainly plenty to lament about our history and some of the reasons we are divided. While there are "divisions" I also appreciate the variety of expressions of church made possible by the separation into denominations, even the new denomination creatively called "Nondenominational."  My working understanding of the Holy Spirit is that she speaks through the diversity of people and cultures, and we come closer to understanding God's guidance the more voices we are able to hear. In this age of the Emerging Church (th...

One of my favorite living spiritual writers is fond of the expression, "Happiness is an inside job." Pondering that shines a light on the disquietude so many people express as they focus on, "what is wrong with the world." Richard Rohr points out to his listeners and readers that if we are looking "out there" for the world to make us happy, we will never be satisfied. Instead, happiness is something that comes from within when we choose to allow the love of Christ fill our hearts and respond accordingly.  When we are children, we look to our parents for direction, including the joy of this season. We might accept their love in the form of tangible gifts under the tree and delicious meals. People often feel an edge of disappointment as we come of age and the "magic" of Christmas fades. Sometimes the joy returns when we discover the more fulfilling action of giving gifts to others. That may come from wrapping gifts for  family members, even our own...

As we enjoy our less crowded streets and enjoy our fall festivals from the Wooden Boat Festival to the Turkey Trot and all those Santa visits, I find myself once again grateful to live in this community where as my son is learning, "You can't go two blocks without seeing someone you know." I mostly enjoy that reality of our small familiar community. I enjoy seeing faces I recognize on the beach, in the grocery store, at a concert at the Gaff, or on the porch of our church. On the other had there are times when I don't want social interaction; I value solitude from time to time to feed my soul.  Another shadow side of our living in our smaller community is we sometimes miss welcoming the newcomer. I include myself in that sin of omission and think about folks I saw as strangers whom I failed to connect with to make a friend. Being here in my 14th year, I think it's partially a survival instinct that kicks in; I tend to put on my "tourist blinders" when I...

Sometimes experts complain about knowing too much about their field of expertise when it becomes a burden. I've heard preachers complain that they have trouble listening to a sermon without analyzing how they might have done it differently. When medical professionals hear conversations among friends or family, they can't help but come up with a diagnosis and wonder about a treatment plan. It can become overwhelming.  The sort of "knowing too much" I'm referring to here, though, is a little different, but can also be overwhelming. Imagine, if you will, living on this island near Texas many years ago, and waiting for a weekly paper to arrive to find out some news from the rest of the world. Can we imagine further back? What if you learned a big weather event had happened only when you and your tribe traveled to trade with a neighboring tribe after a few days' journey on foot. We can only try to imagine what that might have been like because today we have this co...

If you are like me, you love to commune with God in nature. I can't actually remember hearing anyone say, "I really can't connect with God in nature." I remember the first time I heard a church-person affirm that connection with God in nature. I was at Camp Allen, the summer camp I attended as a kid, and one of the priests said that I and my heart leapt with joy to hear that from someone with authority. The Celtic Christian tradition is full of this sort of awareness and teaching. There are little prayers offered that include the majesty and intricacy of God's good creation. Some of the monks used to set out on the sea, allowing it to carry them on to new unknown places to proclaim the gospel.  A friend was talking about the practice of praying morning, noon, and night recently, and referred to that prayer practice as having a Trinitarian Shape. I tend to have a regular morning prayer time, and night prayers under the stars are often my deepest, soulful conversati...

"In what part of your life are you stuck?" That was a favorite question from my therapist upon his first visit with new patients. I visited him for the first time in my first year of ordained ministry when I was struggling to find inspiration; I felt stuck. A mentor recommended that I learn to take care of my mental and spiritual health, and that led to a whole journey that included my one-on-one time with Dr. James Hollis, a regular a facilitated clergy support group, and participation in retreats; each component helped me get unstuck and I still draw on the wisdom I learned across all parts of my life.  Regarding his "stuck" question, Dr. Hollis's confided to me, "Not has someone replied, 'what do you mean?'" Instead they quickly got to work unpacking the "stuck" area of life. At most stages in life, as we navigate worldly demands and familial responsibilities we put some part of who we are on hold. Those untended parts of ourselves...

I’m sitting at a highway rest area not far from where I grew, up looking at a wall of green trees that remind me of playing in the woods as a little boy around our house in East Texas. I used to run and play, and let my imagination run and play as well.       Later, when I went to church camp, I heard the description of what I had experienced: ”Connecting with God in nature.” As I grew up and learned to navigate the world as an adult, having my first job within the church, I would still return again and again to be with God in nature especially at decision points in my journey. I would go into wilderness places and pray.       As I grew older, found new ways to play through canoeing, mountain biking, hiking longer trails, or camping out. All of them putting me in close contact with God‘s beautiful, good creation.        When I was learning to meditate my favorite place to practice would be outside near a stream where I wou...

I grew up in an age of collective disillusionment: Institutions were losing trust, the optimism of social rights activism seemed to stagnate, and even the hippies seemed to give up and go be productive members of society. In the 90's I danced at school and camp dances to "Loser" by Beck, and "Creep" by Radiohead, while REM's "It's the End of the World As We Know It" helped us to feel fine while we bounced around listening to all the world's problems. Alas, we were lost and wondering.  Many parents of kids in my generation found a religious freedom they called (and continue to call) "spiritual, but not religious." The Vietnam War had exposed us collectively to Buddhism, and while some Christian monks (Thomas Merton) teamed up with Buddhist monks (Thich Nhat Hahn) in deep conversation to find commonality and to learn from one another, many others became aware of whole continents of people who are not Christian, considered convention...

Originally published in the South Jetty Newspaper St. Augustine of Hippo is credited as saying, "He who sings, prays twice." I'm not great at math, but that  seems like it adds up. The experience of singing and playing music is one of my favorite ways to pray. Sometimes I lead music, or share a sermon-song in church, sometimes it happens around a campfire or in a music venue. The words and style may change, but to me it is all spiritual. Playing music and listening to music is good medicine for my soul.  I am not a great music teacher, I have learned, but I have been able to pass along a few guitar chords here and there in an attempt to share the joy of playing music. I learned to play guitar when I was 14 from one of our church ladies, and I haven't stopped playing since. It has helped me in so many ways, not only landing a job a summer camp when I was a teen, but more recently it has been a vehicle to process grief and other emotions. I've written songs about th...

One of my mentors once described today's popular "spiritual, but not religious" designation as a stone being skipped across the surface of a lake. Maybe spiritual tourist is another way of thinking about it. I am a spiritual tourist myself. I value learning about religions other than my own and gleaning wisdom from spiritual practices within the ancient traditions and from more modern approaches such as depth psychology. Learning from other religions has helped me to grow deeper in my own religion, and find new insight from ancient teachings.  Now, my religion, for context: I'm a cleric of the theistic Christian Episcopal church. We've only been around as an autonomous denomination since the revolutionary war in the United States (after it was unpopular to be associated with England.) We are from the church of England and the Scottish Church, influenced by the Celtic Christianity of that part of the world. They/we finally split with the Catholic church because of ...