I am a United Church of Christ pastor, writer and blogger, living in the Berkshire Hills of Western Massachusetts with my wife Martha. We have two adult children. I am Pastor Emeritus of First Church of Christ in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, where I served for 22 years.
“When I Survey . . .” (formerly known as “Retired Pastor Ruminates”) contains some of my ruminations on a variety of topics, including, but not limited to, theology, pastoral ministry, the church, ecumenism, cooking, food and wine, the arts, books, films, music, poetry, politics, traumatic brain injury, New England Sports teams, cycling and the occasional rant.
I have also archived many of my published and unpublished essays, book reviews, hymns, special-occasion sermons, papers and addresses from my four decades as a pastor-theologian.
Nice job, Rick! I like the way you’ve divided up your various genres, and yet left a sense that they’re all part of a unified project. – Skip Mac
Thanks, Skip. It is still a work in progress.
“work in progress” is a pretty good ongoing description of the cyberworld! Eventually, we’ll be able to send snappily designed avatars to deliver our communications to other peoples’ avatars. Before we know it, the avatars will be having all the fun, and we’ll be wondering why we never get messages anymore.
My avatar can beat your avatar!
The avatars are fallen beings too? Well, I guess that follows, given that we design them…
Rick, I just moved over from the former blog page and added you as an new app to my yahoo toolbar. “Rumination Nation” lives! … I’ve got an app for that! Hope all is well in Western MA. Missed you at convocation … though I know travel is not a real option …take care.
Grace and Peace,
Karl
Hi Karl,
Glad you found the new site. I’ll send you a personal message.
Best.
Rick
Found your website while searching for discussions on P.T. Forsyth, whose writings I have loved since my seminary days. Have been reading again his, “The Centrality of the Cross.” Finding your site is like finding a pot of gold. Thanks
Thanks for the encouraging comment, Daniel. PTF has been an inspiration to me for over thirty years. My friend Jason Goroncy has just edited a book of his sermons soon to be published by Wipf and Stock, which i hope will make him more widely known. I give his books to young preachers. Some of it falls on rocky ground, but his enduring witness still speaks to many.