Ginter Park Presbyterian Church

Seventh and Final in a Series What Does Easter Mean to Me at This Point in My Life? Excellent question. The question, of course, presupposes that our understanding of Easter will change depending on context: on what’s going on within and without each of us at any given point. Later in his life, Rubem Alves put it this way: “Being a poet, I don’t know how to talk scientifically about Christianity. I can only talk about it as it is reflected in the mirror of my body, through ti

Sixth in a Series In worship on May 3, Carla asked a few church family members to share the meaning they were finding in Easter. She liked what was said enough to suggest we publish the reflections here. We’re posting one each day. I have heard many times in my life that we are resurrection people. Where did I hear that? Maybe in Sunday school because I had great Sunday school teachers. Maybe it was in a sermon, because I have heard many great Presbyterian sermons in my life.

Fifth in a Series In worship on May 3, Carla asked a few church family members to share the meaning they were finding in Easter. She liked what was said enough to suggest we publish the reflections here. We’re posting one each day. If you have lived through a time of any physical injury, you would know what it means to go through suffering and being healed from the wound and the pain of those moments. This semester I am studying Cross Examination, and that has taken me on a s

Fourth in a Series In worship on May 3, Carla asked a few church family members to share the meaning they were finding in Easter. She liked what was said enough to suggest we publish the reflections here. We’re posting one each day. One rainy Wednesday a couple of years ago, I rode with my sister and my oldest son to Oxford, North Carolina. We wanted to see where my great great grandfather had lived and died, where he’d owned a fair amount of property, and where he had enslav

Third in a Series In worship on May 3, Carla asked a few church family members to share the meaning they were finding in Easter. She liked what was said enough to suggest we publish the reflections here. We’re posting one each day. My understanding of Easter has deepened significantly in the last two years. Holy Week of 2025 I sat at the bedside of my dying husband and held his hand as he took his last breath. He had struggled for about five days with the final process of d

Second in a Series In worship on May 3, Carla asked a few church family members to share the meaning they were finding in Easter. She liked what was said enough to suggest we publish the reflections here. We’re posting one each day. When asked what Easter means to me now, my thoughts went briefly to jelly beans and dyed eggs. To me, Easter is the most Holy day. I thank God that Christ was born into the flesh. He felt what I feel, he knew pain and suffering. He literally carri

For worship on May 3, Carla asked a few church family members to share the meaning they were finding in Easter. She liked what was said enough to suggest we publish the reflections here. We’ll post one each day. I'll be honest with you - I'm stuck on Good Friday right now. Bad things keep happening, and I can't see an end to it. So when I was asked to reflect on what Easter means to me, I wasn't sure what I was going to say. I found myself thinking about Rachel Held Evans, wh

I remember reading a review of the 2012 film adaptation of Les Miserables. The reviewer told the story of moviegoers entering the theater in tears, even before the movie had started. At our first rehearsal for GPPC’s second Richard Smallwood collaborative project, I couldn’t help but think back to those Les Mis fans. At the very start, we knew we were in for something extraordinary. As Dale Heiskill agreed to lead us in prayer after one of the first rehearsals, I heard a whis

“A tree, by its nature, seeks its future moment by moment.” - Jim Harrison I turned 69 last week. That may sound young to some, but it’s approaching one of those milestones that nudges one to again think about their “purpose” in life. We all have the chance to make a small difference in the world. Current events make the question of how we make a contribution feel more urgent. I’d like to ask you to consider how, through the GPPC Endowment, you can make a difference in what y

I regret I wasn’t a more dedicated student in my English classes. I completed the necessary assignments and did well enough. I could have...

“Doug, you gotta listen to this new CD!” I was in my dorm room in 1995, and my friend Glen Segger had stopped by. This was how we shared...

How has your week been? An innocent question. A common question. A friendly question from a friend today. "Well, I've been busy" is my...

Those who visit our home often comment on the beauty of the yard. But if our guests were to stand in our yard this time of year, they...

“Hi, Amanda. I have an idea for a project at church, and I wanted to see what you might think of it.” I had heard my friend and seminary...

What are the images and influences you bring into your life, the ones there by invitation? The books kept at our bedside, the art collected on trips, the photos saved on our phones? Add to those, the images that come uninvited. Daily intrusions from the internet, sensational news reports on TV, ads everywhere we look. And then there are the ones in the environment around us, ones that join our daily lives passively, like a remora hitching a ride with a whale. And what effects

Do you listen? Do you obey, even when it doesn’t make sense? From personal experience, I can unequivocally say YES to all, although not necessarily in that order or on a timely basis. I am an alcoholic. I abused alcohol for over 20 years. Did I plan to? Nope. Did I ruin my marriage, career, health, and relationship with my daughter? Yes. I can go on and on. Do I wonder how in the Hell I got there? You bet. But I can’t, or won’t go back, only forward. And I’m not

Can you believe our youth musical was 8 weeks ago? Does it seem like yesterday - or several holidays back? Before Christmas, while it...

In April while keeping vigil over our mom in her last days, my siblings and I sang hymns, and I listened—really listened—to the lyrics,...

Be still and aware of God’s presence within and all around. I don’t remember the first time I saw a gingko tree, but I remember the first...

At the beginning of this year, we were blessed with a generous gift to support instrumentalists in worship at GPPC. “Have you thought...