Telling Our Stories

Stories of faith by members of the Ginter Park Presbyterian Church Family.

May 10, 20143 min read

A Sacramental Struggle

“I take Communion. I just don’t get Communion.” That statement fits across many – most – years of my life. As a little kid in church, I...

Apr 26, 20144 min read

Betsy's Credo

Would you believe Betsy Rice’s faith is open to discussion? Betsy, who’s at church most anytime the door’s unlocked; Betsy, who stands...

Apr 12, 20143 min read

Finding the Lost

I watched from the side of the museum gallery as the team found the painting needed to crack the code. They gathered around the clue, and...

Mar 29, 20144 min read

Seeing God in the Preschool Choir

When Doug Brown first told me that he directs a choir for 3-5 year olds, I figured he was either intrepid or insane. Take, for example,...

Mar 15, 20143 min read

Growing Up in Church - A Message to the Youth of GPPC

Blogger’s note: My memories of GPPC are from the decade of the 1960s, just prior to my leaving Richmond after graduating college in...

Mar 1, 20142 min read

Life (from the pros)

Deborah and Matthew know well the questions we ask young children when a baby is baptized at GPPC: Do you promise to be a friend to him?...

Feb 15, 20143 min read

Extending Privilege to All

Around the time the Trayvon Martin case was making headlines, I started thinking a lot about white privilege. When you’re white in a...

Feb 1, 20143 min read

Finding the Fervor

When I was a boy back there in Floyd, Va., (population 500, one stoplight) tent revivals made week-long stops in town once or twice each...

Jan 18, 20143 min read

Why I Believe in God

I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, and it seems to me that God has one very simple message: love one another. Everything else...

Jan 5, 20143 min read

An Old Thing for a New Year

Call us the Terrific Three, the Teen Triumvirate, or the Unholy Trinity if you like. Back then, for a golden summer before our high...

Dec 24, 20133 min read

O Little Town on Top of the Piano

“I hate Christmas.” That’s what my dad said after I criticized the way he had arranged the little snow village on top of my grandparent’s...

Dec 12, 20132 min read

This Little (or Grand, or Tacky) Light of Mine

One of the few Christmas decorations that Steven and I put up this year was a strand of white icicle lights, framing the large window in...

Dec 5, 20133 min read

Anticipating Peace

My goal for Thanksgiving vacation was to learn how to fold paper cranes. My son Elijah laughed at me when I told him, but really: that...

Nov 25, 20132 min read

Jingle Bell Rocked

Here are the seasons of autumn at my house. The last day of September through the 20th of November comprises Walker birthday season: all...

Nov 8, 20133 min read

Singing the Faith

Five of my children play Suzuki strings; two girls play violin, two play viola, and one plays the cello. The Suzuki program is rather...

Oct 29, 20133 min read

Hospitality is Hard

As part of our stewardship season, we are reflecting on the values into which we try to live at GPPC. Michelle Freeman Owens shared...

Oct 15, 20132 min read

A Mountain Valentine

I never can remember what year I joined Ginter Park; it was either 1999 or 2000. The exact date doesn’t matter, of course. I do remember...

Sep 21, 20132 min read

A Day Simply Doesn't Know How to be Still

When Julia and Zuzu were younger, one of my favorite books to read with them was a picture book in poetry form called The Sound of Day,...

Aug 28, 20132 min read

Behind the Headlines

This installment of “Telling Our Stories” is mostly for pointing you to another story: Davis Yeuell’s recollections on life leading up...

Aug 19, 20131 min read

Random Thoughts (from a Particulary Purposive Person)*

I love the phrase “a quiet success” used in describing the summer yoga classes. To our neighbors we had said, “Come, do this with us” –...