Get Thee Out Today’s Scripture Selection: Genesis 12:1 “Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee….” Talk about a challenge. When asked about the things people “count on” they will often say things… Continue reading Get Thee Out
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
A Foolish Construction
A Foolish Construction Today’s Scripture Selection: Genesis 11:1-4 “And the whole earth was of one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed form the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. And they said one to another, Go to, let us make… Continue reading A Foolish Construction
Judgment and Grace
Judgment and Grace Today’s Scripture Selection: Genesis 4-7 “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.” One of the most dramatic stories in all of Scripture – and one with which many people have had trouble – is that of the great flood that destroyed everything and everyone on earth, at God’s hand. … Continue reading Judgment and Grace
A New Journey Begins
A New Journey Begins Today’s Scripture Selection: Genesis 1-3 As I mentioned in my last post, today we begin an old journey in a new way. Going “back to the beginning” we turn to Genesis – the book of beginnings. Scholars are not in agreement about how this great, formative work came into being but… Continue reading A New Journey Begins
Time for a Change
Dear Faithful Readers: With today’s post we come to the end of another theological walk through our alphabet. We’ve spent a fair amount of time looking at key words of our faith. Now, I think it’s time for a change – and I hope you agree. I am going to begin a walk through the… Continue reading Time for a Change
Zion
Zion Today’s Scripture Selection: Romans 9:33 “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” Theologians with multiple advanced degrees and those with little formal education, and just about everybody in between… Continue reading Zion
Years
Years Today’s Scripture Selection: Psalm 90:10 “The length of our days is seventy years or eighty, if we have strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” On the one hand – it seems a dismal assessment of this thing we call our earthly life. “Here… Continue reading Years
Voice
Voice Today’s Scripture Selection: Psalm 95:7-8 “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts….” When was the last time you heard God’s voice? I’m not talking, necessarily, about literally hearing that voice. Such phenomenon, to say the least, is rare and I would rather leave it to the theologians and mental health… Continue reading Voice
Understanding
Understanding Today’s Scripture Selection: Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Everyone wants to understand. We want to understand the events of our lives – good and bad. We want to understand… Continue reading Understanding
Thanks
Thanks Today’s Scripture Selection: Second Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” As much as I like the writings of the apostle Paul, sometimes (dare I say it) he can be a bit wordy. He seems to go out of his way to hammer out each fine point of theology; every nuance… Continue reading Thanks