James Derkits

A friend recently noticed that the baptismal font in our church was dry. There is a practice in the church of dipping one's fingers in the water of the baptismal font, then making the sign of the cross to remember one's baptism, receiving anew the blessing and grace of God that is eternally present. I had already noticed that the font was dry and intended to add more water so that it was available as an outward and visible sign of that inward and spiritual grace, then I forgot, and I'm glad I did.  When she noticed the baptismal font was dry I said, "Yes, it's all evaporated...so breathe deeply to breathe in the holy water that is in the air." The four of us standing there in the church all took a deep breath. Then I remembered something I have been taught about the holiness of all water in the world. If you don't already consider all water holy and a precious, living part of our lives, try this on: Because of the way water circulates through evapor...

It's not officially summer according to the position of the earth on our orbit around the sun. We're a little less than a month away from that. However, according to the energy level of people around me, it's summertime! Schools are headed for break, enthusiasm about anything planned around the church is being voted down in absentia. I get it. This has been quite a busy year. I feel it, too. I'm one of the people who is certainly showing signs of summer. And I'm not going to resist it. I know there are some big things coming up this fall that will require a lot of energy and attention. (And planning before we get there.) It's time for a fallow field (although I may pull some of these beastly sticker-burrs that have come up since the rain.)  As I get ready to downshift, I am going to refocus my creative energy a bit this summer, too. I really love writing these weekly blogs, but for the next few months, I'm aiming for monthly. I have a music project th...

If you've been down by the Port Aransas beach pier lately, you've seen those wonderful "Village People" bollards. It started with one bollard that grew "hair." Grass grew through the bollard and sprouted off the top, looking like a tuft of hair. That was all the inspiration that was needed. Soon discarded sunglasses and a visor were added. Then gloves and Mardi Gras beads. The lonely soldier was finally joined by two others, and eventually a fourth appeared. They make me smile every time I drive by. Each bollard character is unique, like the characters we meet in Port Aransas. That's one example of spontaneous art I recommend checking out, but take a walk down the beach on any day and you are likely to find pieces of driftwood erected in a miniature Stone Henge, or perhaps in the shape of a small chapel. More common are the drawings or writings in the sand. Not long after our Holy Week Labyrinth walk, when I carved a labyrinth, or prayer path near ma...

I haven't seen as much of Laura lately. She's taken on a second job. Actually, she just finished it! Her first half-Ironman Triathlon , but probably not her last, so I guess the "second job" continues. Ok, so it isn't technically a second job, but it takes an amazing amount of work to prepare to swim, bike, and run those distances. She competed in Galveston, and finished strong. It was amazing to witness her dedication to the training, and to marvel at the distances she would go in a day: "I'll be right back after I swim a mile and bike 20 miles." "Ok, I'll be sitting on the sofa." ...Actually with all her training it was hard me to sit still. I started running more seriously again, and got inspired sign up to run a marathon in November. I've done two half-marathons in the past two years and I think I'm ready to step it up a bit. I'm not the only one Laura has inspired. She is already signing up other 70.3 triathletes, and...

I did play once in third grade with my buddy Rit Johnson. I remember that we spent a lot of time looking for my lost golf balls, so I just rode along for most of the game. Aside from that, and some Putt-Putt in Jr. High, I've really never played golf. I'm going to do it though, and I've assembled a very forgiving team (I hope they read that, and believe it.) Once a year, Trinity by the Sea Day School has a Golf Tournament to raise funds for their operating budget, scholarships, salaries, and playground equipment. It's for everything. The school depends on it, and helps keep many Port Aransas families working, since their children have an amazing school to attend daily. It is an amazing school. Nana Ward the director has been leading it for 16 years, and continues to assemble an outstanding staff of teachers. I get to spend time with them once a week in chapel, and it's one of the highlights of my week. Even when the students are especially wiggly. Usually, whe...

I recently read a story told by John A. Sanford , an Episcopal priest and Jungian analyst, of a childhood well he remembered at an old family home. Before they had running water, they used the well, and it produced the most wonderful, cool, clear, delicious water. The family eventually introduced plumbing, so the old well was no longer necessary. Later in life, Sanford was curious about uncovering the well, and found it to be dry, not because the water level had dropped, but because since the flow of water out of the well had ceased, the tiny "rivulets" has he called them, didn't flow and so became clogged up. He compared that well to the spiritual life: when we cease to access the "flow" of the spirit, the resource may seem to dry up. When we do not practice drawing from the well, regularly, we may find it a difficult source. I know exactly what he's referring to because I have had such a spiritual experience. For a time during and just after college I wa...

I don't normally post sermons, but since I've had a couple of requests for copies of this one, I'm going to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. I didn't write it all out until after the sermon, so it's probably a little different here than what I preached at 9 or 11 on Sunday April 12, 2015.  The Gospel story for the sermon was of Jesus returning to the disciples both on the first Sunday after his crucifixion and then a week later (8 days) returning to that same room. Thomas missed the first visit, and wouldn't believe unless he saw the mark of the nails and put his hand in Jesus' side. On the second visit, he had his opportunity. John 20:19 Thomas When I was about 9 or 10, I became fascinated with climbing up on the roof of my childhood home in Silsbee, TX. I didn't do it very often, and it all probably started with helping my dad get leaves and sticks down once or twice a year. Every-so-often, though I would sneak up there on my own...