Author: 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
No Fear
Like many faith communities, large and small, our congregation is trying to strike a healthy balance – no pun intended – between prudent response and panicked reaction – to the covid-19 pandemic. We have decided to temporarily suspend all group church activities, including Sunday morning worship services. We have done this not because we think… Continue reading No Fear
Come Into the Light
Matthew 4:12-17 12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee. 13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— 14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: 15 “Land of Zebulun and land of… Continue reading Come Into the Light
Silent Night, Holy Night
Tonight, in just a little while, I will gather with the members of my congregation, Elpis Christian Church, and we will do what we always do on this silent, holy night. We will listen to a little music, sing a few carols, hear the Christmas story as told by Luke, and light some candles. It… Continue reading Silent Night, Holy Night
Time to Wait
Well, it’s Advent again. So what? In answer to that question – I have nothing new or flashy to offer. I don’t have a catchy new program idea; music you’ve never heard; a video that will really grab your attention – nothing. Except this… For thousands of years, people in need waited for God. They… Continue reading Time to Wait
Family Guidance
Psalm 128:1–6 1 Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! 2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Behold, thus shall… Continue reading Family Guidance
Prayer
We talk about it a lot. Hopefully we do it frequently. Yet it still remains something of a mystery for many. Somehow, many of us are not quite sure we are doing it “right.” What am I talking about? Prayer. It is key to our relationship with God. No wonder then that the disciples specifically… Continue reading Prayer
Aging
My wife and I both had birthday parties this month. We had small but very nice celebrations that another 31,536,000 seconds had ticked by – that’s the kind of fact you can find in an instant on Google. So that has gotten me thinking a bit about aging – what the dictionary defines simply as… Continue reading Aging
Counting the Cost: Discipleship
I suppose it says something about my age that when I think of the word discipleship – several images come to mind: Jesus, sitting on a hillside, teaching his closest followers An oriental sage teaching a young monk nicknamed “grasshopper” A Jedi knight teaching a man named Luke Skywalker about “the force” I know –… Continue reading Counting the Cost: Discipleship
In the Lion’s Den: Integrity
Not many people I know have thoroughly read the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. A bunch of people I know are at least vaguely familiar with the story of “Daniel and Lion’s Den” found there. Here’s a very quick synopsis: Daniel has been granted a great deal of responsibility by his boss. Some… Continue reading In the Lion’s Den: Integrity