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Next week will mark the eight-year anniversary of Hurricane Matthew striking our island.  I started writing these weekly messages at that time, as a way to share information to those somehow connected to the island.  These posts conveyed updates on progress during the recovery, and they provided my perspective as a pastor as I saw… Continue reading Pastor’s Perspective October 3, 2024

Sometimes life does not go according to plan.  Perhaps it would be better if I was more specific.  Sometimes life does not go according to my plan. This morning, my plan was to enjoy a cup of coffee while reading my Bible, followed by a time of prayer, and then sitting down to write my… Continue reading Pastor’s Perspective September 26, 2024

I have seen individuals undertake and complete significant and complicated projects all by themselves.  Building a house or a structure is normally the sort of thing that a team or multiple teams of workers will complete, but sometimes an individual makes the decision to undertake the entire project without any other help.  It takes a… Continue reading Pastor’s Perspective September 19, 2024

When looking for simple yet profound guidance on how to live a decent life, I’m a big fan of the first part of Matthew 5:37, which simply declares “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’” If you say “yes” to something, do it.  If you can’t do it, say “no.”  It is… Continue reading Pastor’s Perspective September 12, 2024

I had an opportunity to spend some time chatting with a friend earlier this week, catching up on what was going on in his life.  As I listened to him speak, I couldn’t help but feel like I was listening to a motivational speech, gearing me up for action.  To hear what he was working… Continue reading Pastor’s Perspective September 5, 2024

Earlier this week, I was talking with Captain Pete, one of the regular tour guides who brings over groups from the mainland and helps them to experience this island of ours.  He’s a fantastic guide, but more importantly, he has a heart for the malnourished in Africa, and is about to head over for the… Continue reading Pastor’s Perspective August 29, 2024

Tomorrow, we bury one of our island elders.  Friends and family will take the ferry from the mainland to come and say one final goodbye to Franklin, spending time together as an extended family to laugh, cry, comfort one another, and celebrate his life as the island comes together to host this important event. It… Continue reading Pastor’s Perspective August 22, 2024

Last week, Tropical Storm Debby dropped approximately one foot of rain on our island.  Fortunately, the winds were never very strong, so the storm was predominantly a rain event with some significant beach erosion thrown in for good measure.  And while we have blue skies and typical summer days in the week since the storm… Continue reading Pastor’s Perspective August 15, 2024

When the power went out Monday afternoon it was both unsurprising and unwelcome.  So much of our electrical grid is above ground, and we have seemingly more trees crowding our power lines than anywhere else in the county, so the onset of Tropical Storm Debby was bound to disrupt the power here.  Unfortunately, it disrupted… Continue reading Pastor’s Perspective August 8, 2024

Most of the people who live in our island community are in the third act of their lives.  They were raised somewhere else and went through whatever formal education was appropriate for them, then they worked in some sort of career, and now that their formal working days are done, they have chosen to come… Continue reading Pastor’s Perspective August 1, 2024