Words from Washington

Thoughts, questions, and reactions from the pastor of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, Washington, D.C.

Monday, January 25, 2016

Looking for God in a Snowstorm - a #BlizzardChurch Conference Call Meditation

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I don’t do well with snow storms. I’m not good with things that have the potential to disrupt my best-laid plans, let alone force me to...
Friday, December 25, 2015

Changed by a Child - a Homily for Christmas Eve

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                        “Dear Max,             Your mother and I don’t yet have the words to describe the hope you give us for the ...
Thursday, December 24, 2015

Boxes of Comparison

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I was recently reintroduced to this box at the gym. It's not too intimidating of a picture, but seeing the real thing can cause m...
Tuesday, December 15, 2015

The Gift of Letting Go

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My father recently delivered a half a dozen plastic bins that have been sitting in my mother's basement for 20 years. She has a...
Monday, November 02, 2015

A Simple Invitation

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I reached my tipping point. It happens every year about this time as the fall craziness ushers in forms to be completed for Charge Confe...
Friday, September 25, 2015

God is Still Speaking - Even to the Speaker of the House

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Washington has been rocked this week. Traffic patterns were redefined. Barriers were constructed. So many people teleworked that Metro...
1 comment:
Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Waiting for a Pope

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Our city is filled with a sense of expectation and excitement that I have not experienced in a long time. Some of us are glued to our tele...
Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Lessons in Hospitality

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"Tell me, what do you like about your new church?" I asked him. "Everyone is excited to see you when you walk in. They all...
Friday, August 07, 2015

What's Your Legacy?

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I've been thinking a lot about my legacy in recent months. The conversation was ignited last year through an Executive Certificate in Re...
Saturday, July 04, 2015

The Monastic Life

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I spent the last five days in silence with seven other people at Holy Cross Abbey . I make the journey to Berryville once a year, c...
Thursday, June 25, 2015

Unusual Company

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When Mount Vernon Place was given the opportunity to redevelop our property several years ago, a vision emerged for a facility that would b...
1 comment:
Friday, June 19, 2015

Let's Cross Over to the Other Side

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I did not need an alarm clock to awaken me this morning as my spirit started to stir a few minutes after 5:00. I had finished 75% of my ...
Tuesday, June 09, 2015

Saying Thanks

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A seminary friend reached out to me last week with a question. "You seem to have been able to develop many mentors in life. How do y...
1 comment:
Tuesday, April 28, 2015

The Demons of the City

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We are in the midst of what has been a powerful sermon series for me at Mount Vernon Place , one that has spoken deeply to my soul, on ...
Friday, April 24, 2015

Leadership on the Court

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If a picture paints a thousand words, then this photo paints my description of leadership. It is a portrait of a coach, one of his assi...
Tuesday, March 31, 2015

The Power of our Promises

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Easter Sunday is a pastor's dream. Extra people  fill the pews as guests come for the first time and others return after a long time....
Tuesday, March 17, 2015

More Than A Meal

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"I placed a bag of food by your chair. It's chicken and dumplings. I made them this morning to take to a family who just had a...
1 comment:
Tuesday, January 27, 2015

My Friend, Elizabeth

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My friend, Elizabeth, died this morning. Elizabeth taught me to love sliced avocados on my salad but would not allow me to eat too ...
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Donna Claycomb Sokol
Since July of 2005, I have had the extraordinary privilege of watching an old church find new life. I have had a front-row seat to lives being changed, property being redeveloped, and God working in surprising ways. I ponder here about who God is, how God seems to work, why I love the church, why I'd love to change the church, and a variety of other things. I have been told that I am an external processor - perhaps this place is where I externally process what's on my heart and mind in hopes that some of what I share can be helpful.
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