September, 2017 - IGW3 - In God's Word, In God's Will, In God's Work

Looking On

“And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens…” Exodus 2:11a Moses is, to say the least, an interesting and complex character. Hidden as a child from harm, raised in luxury and wealth in an adopted family, led to see the… Continue reading Looking On

A Snappy New Day

I have a collection of coffee mugs. Some have been given to me by friends, some advertise non-profits or businesses I endorse, some offer poignant or witty sayings to ponder. A few even have my own artwork on them – from when I was actively working as a freelance cartoonist. One I especially like is… Continue reading A Snappy New Day

Keeping It Simple

There are times when I feel life has become very complicated. Maybe I was raised in a rather protected environment, maybe I have always been a little too naive – a little too willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. If, as it has been said, that “a sucker” is born every minute… Continue reading Keeping It Simple

Waiting for the King

They had been waiting for four centuries. Oh, the world had been turning, and history was made during that time. Empires came and went, Alexander the Great had come and gone, Rome was in charge now, and a tiny strip of land – squeezed between great desert expanses – was about to become very, very… Continue reading Waiting for the King

Paul Simrell

The Reverend Paul W. Simrell has served for over thirty years in a variety of congregational and institutional settings. He is a recognized minister with standing in the Virginia region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada and is nationally endorsed by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for specialized ministry in both pastoral counseling and chaplaincy. Ordained in 1982, he has served congregations in Kentucky, Texas, Florida, and Virginia. He currently serves as the pastor of Elpis Christian Church, a small, historic congregation located just a few miles west of Richmond, Virginia. Elpis is the Greek word meaning “expectant hope.” He also serves on the associate clinical staff of the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care, Richmond, Virginia, both as a pastoral counselor and a ministerial assessment specialist, specializing in executive, clergy and relationship coaching. He is a graduate of the University of Florida and Lexington Theological Seminary and has done advanced clinical training in chaplaincy and pastoral counseling at the University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas and the Virginia Institute of Pastoral Care in Richmond, Virginia. He is a Certified Pastoral Counselor, an ACPE Practitioner, and a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. He is a Certified Facilitator of the Prepare-Enrich relationship assessment and skills-building program and served as a volunteer chaplain for over twenty years with the CJW Medical Center campuses in Richmond, Virginia. His avocational interests include playing the piano and drawing. He is very happily married to his wife Elizabeth Yeamans Simrell, a free-lance writer, who is also a Certified Facilitator for the Prepare-Enrich program. Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

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