The Pulpit and the Pen is moving to a new site to better reflect my new situation as I move to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. Check out and bookmark From A Rocky Hillside. … Continue reading
Jeff
John M. Barry, The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History (2004, Penguin Books, New York, 2018), 548 pages, some photos, index and notes. This is an impressive book that does more than just provide … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church September 20, 2020 Jeremiah 29:4-14 To watch this service on YouTube go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKiTvhFZ3Sk. If you just want to catch the sermon, go to 18:40, where I began with the scripture reading. If you … Continue reading
The finish was exciting. An offshore breeze was blowing steadily toward the land and many of the boats still in the race were all convening on the R2W buoy two miles off Wassaw Island at the same time. There was … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church September 6, 2020 Matthew 18:15-20 Click this link to watch the service which begins at the 6 minutes into the table. The sermon starts at 18:20 minutes into the service. Also, it seems I … Continue reading
Jesse Cole, Find Your Yellow Tux: How to be Successful by Standing Out (Lioncrest Publishing, 2018), 303 pages, some photos. The Back Story: One of the most amazing things I’ve seen while living in the Savannah area is the development … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church August 30, 2020 Matthew 16:21-26 Click here to watch the service. The sermon begins at 18 minutes if you want to fast-forward. Beginning of Worship: I saw a meme the other day. A man … Continue reading
Things have been busy at my house as we are now showing it and trying to begin packing for our move to Virginia… But the busyness hasn’t kept me from sailing, as I crewed a boat up to Hilton Head … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Matthew 16:13-20 August 23, 2020 Click here for the worship service. Advance to 15:30 to begin watching the scripture and the sermon. At the Beginning of Worship What does it take for us to … Continue reading
David Lee, Mine Tailings (Boulder, UT: Five Sisters Press, 2019), 79 pages. David Lee was formerly the poet laurate of Utah and has been affectionally referred to as “the Pig Poet.” About the time I was leaving Utah, Lee … Continue reading
JEFF GARRISON Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Matthew 15:21-28 August 16, 2020 To watch the service, click here to go to our Youtube site. To see just the sermon (skipping prelude, announcements, call to worship, first hymn and confession) forward to … Continue reading
I was not planning on making a change, but it’s happening. Maybe it was COVID. We’ve certainly have had more time to think and ponder about what is important. Could God be using this time to open me to listening? … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Matthew 14:22-33 August 9, 2020 To watch the sermon, go to our YouTube page (linked here). The sermon begins at 16:30. As you heard in Deanie’s wonderful sermon last week, it had been … Continue reading
James H. Cone, (Marynoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2011), 202 pages including notes and an index. The late James Cone (1938-2018) tackled a tough topic, linking together the most powerful symbol for Christians, the cross, and the most shameful symbol … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Matthew 13:31-33, 44-50 July 26, 2020 Click here. The entire service can be seen on Youtube. The service proper begins at 15:30 and the sermon begins at 28:00. At beginning of Worship: Today, … Continue reading
David Zucchino, Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy (New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2020), 426 pages including notes, bibliography, and index along with 12 additional pages of prints. On November 10, 1898, Wilmington, … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church July 19, 2020 Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 The worship service is available at Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church’s YouTube site. Click here. I began reading the scripture at 13:50 and the sermon begins at 16:50 and … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church July 12, 2020 Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 A crowd gathers around Jesus. They press in, each trying to get closer to the mysterious storyteller, to touch the garment of the great healer. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church July 5, 2020 Matthew 11:16-19 To watch this service, click here. To watch the sermon, fast forward to 20:00 minutes in the stream. Opening of Worship: How many of you remember Calvin … Continue reading
Michael P. Cohen, Granite and Grace: Seeking the Heart of Yosemite (Reno: University of Nevada, 2019), 220 pages. A few hand drawn maps and line drawings at the top of each chapter by Valerie Cohen. When most people think of … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church June 21, 2020 Matthew 10:16-33 Click here to watch the worship service. To just catch the sermon, fast forward to 20 minutes and 30 seconds. How many of you are afraid? I wish … Continue reading
As Father’s Day is this weekend… It’s not true that I’m crazy about fishing. I enjoy it, but mostly I enjoy being outdoors and fishing is one way to fulfill such a desire. My father, however, is crazy about fishing. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church June 14, 2020 Matthew 9:35-10:15 You can watch this service on YouTube by clicking here. If you just want to hear the sermon, fast forward to 20:36. We made Blood … Continue reading
Steven Pressfield, Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermoplyae (New York: Bantan Books, 1998), 386 pages. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel that is based on ancient Greek historians’ writings, especially Herodotus. The story is told through … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Matthew 28:16-20 Trinity Sunday June 7, 2020 To watch to this service, click here. Disclaimer: Just because I use wheat bread and don’t use Hellmann’s Mayonnaise on tomato sandwiches doesn’t mean I’m a … Continue reading
Our worship services are available at our church’s YouTube page. This link will take you to this service. The sermon begins at 16:00 minutes and is over at 36:10. You can fast forward to the sermon. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church John 21:15-25 May 24, 2020 This service can be watched in it’s entirety on the church’s YouTube channel. If you want to just see the sermon, go to 13:00. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD3awv89c1E We’re finishing up … Continue reading
Nancy Koester, Harriet Beecher Stowe: A Spiritual Life (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2014), 371 pages, B&W photos, notes. Harriet Beecher Stowe is best known for her novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The novel’s popularity fueled the anti-slavery movement in the North and … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church John 21:1-14 May 17, 2020 This worship service can be found at on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSbn75Dr6d8. To listen just to the sermon, go to 12 minutes into the service. The sermon ends at 36:40. … Continue reading
The other day I was telling someone about going to Austin in early March. He told me of all the places he lived, that he liked Austin the best, that it was a blueberry in a bowl of tomato soup … Continue reading
Eric Goodman, Cuppy and Stew: The Bombing of Flight 629, A Love Story (San Francisco: IF SF Publishing, 2020), 220 pages with a few photographs. The narrator is Susan, the youngest daughter of Cuppy and Stew, who died in the … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Luke 24:36-49 May 3, 2020 The worship service can be watched on YouTube. The sermon starts at 15:01 and is over at 36:06, in case you would like to fast forward to just catch … Continue reading
Surprisingly, things have been pretty busy for the past six weeks. You’d think t hat wouldn’t be the case since many places are closed down to visitors so I’m not making hospital or nursing home visits. Our office is closed … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church April 26, 2020 Luke 24:13-35 To watch the entire service (approximately 40 minutes), click here to go to our YouTube site. It is solved by walking, Augustine of Hippo said.[1] … Continue reading
What are you reading this days? Looking for a good book while you isolate yourself? Here are three books from books I recently read. It’s by sheer accident that two of them discuss Epictetus (but different parts of his philosophy): … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church April 19, 2020 John 20:19-29 Throughout this Easter Season, we’re looking at post-resurrection stories of Jesus. We find these mostly in the gospels of Luke and John. As we left off last week, … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church John 20:1-18 Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020 Throughout Lent, we have been looking at pieces of art from around the world as a way to get into the Scriptures for each Sunday. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Mark 14:32-43 April 5, 2020 Our text for today, as we finish looking at the events of Jesus’ final week of earthly ministry, is his prayer in the Garden. It’s a time of … Continue reading
The 2020 baseball season was scheduled to kickoff this past weekend. Unfortunately, it has been postponed due to the current pandemic. So here is a poem I wrote this weekend (you can even listen to it–how neat is that) along … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church John 13:1-20 March 29, 2020 Before reading the scripture, I want us to take a look at our image for the day, which can help us get into the text. We’re looking … Continue reading
If you have time on your hands as we wait out this pandemic, there are two good books that I recommend to anyone who enjoys history. In they cover three wars (Mexican, Civil, and World War II). S. C. Gwynne, … Continue reading
Please remember, especially during this time when we need to maintain social distance from one another in at attempt to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, that you can always worship virtually with Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church on Sunday … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Matthew 22:15-22 March 15, 2020 If you read the entirety of Matthew 22 (and with the extra time we may be having on hand as everything is being cancelled because of … Continue reading
I spent the last week at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in a Foundation for Reformed Theology seminar discussing the writings of John Leith. The seminary’s campus is just north of the University of Texas’ campus, which allowed us to do … Continue reading
W. Singer and Emerson T. Brooking, LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media (2018, Mariner Books, Boston, 2019), 407 pages including index and notes plus eight pages of photos. This timely book begins in 2009 with Donald Trump’s first tweet, promoting … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church March 1, 2020 Matthew 21:1-11 Zechariah 9:9-10 Everyone loves a parade. Or so they say. I’m not sure it’s true. If you’re like me and prefer to take the back roads for … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Matthew 17:1-8 February 23, 2020 Today, we’re coming to an end of this series on SAD (Spiritual Affection Disease). We’ve looked at several ordinary activities that can be used, beyond prayer and Bible study, … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Psalm 119:1-8 February 16, 2020 We’re back looking at ways for us not to be so SAD. How can we overcome bouts of Spiritual Affective Disease? How can we get closer to our … Continue reading
Back in December, The Armchair Squid honored me with this award. Sorry to disappoint you, but I will give no acceptance speeches that flaunt my politics. I like how “the Squid” modified the original rules: You don’t have to display … Continue reading
David Sedaris, Thief by Finding (audiobooks, 1977) 13 hours 52 minutes. Years ago, I read Me Talk Pretty One Day. It was a very funny book and I’m not sure why it took me so long to get around to … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Psalm 84 February 2, 2020 In her book, An Altar in the World, Barbara Brown Taylor writes: “Earth is so thick with divine possibility that it is a wonder we can walk anywhere … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church January 26, 2020 Micah 6:1-8 A widow’s son who died in a tragic accident. This put her in great grief as she was not sure what to do. A friend took her to … Continue reading
Francis Wilhoit was born in 1920. He was a little younger than my grandmother, and he died a number of years before her, in 2010, at the age of 90. I never met him (as far as I know), but … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Mark 10:23-27 January 19, 2020 We’re looking at another tool to beat Spiritual Affective Disorder. We’ve talked about spending time reflecting on the light. We’ve looked at how music can lift our … Continue reading
When I was in seminary, there was a debate at how often communion should be served in Chapel. This essay, which I recently came across, has it’s roots in that debate which occurred 30-some years ago. It displays my somewhat … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Psalm 40:1-11 January 12, 2020 Between Christmas and Lent, we’re exploring Spiritual Affective Disorder. Many people during winter, when the days are short, suffer for a Seasonal Affective Disorder. It’s due to the … Continue reading
Patrick F. McManus, Kerplunk! (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007), 227 pages. There is a favorite used bookstore in Wilmington, North Carolina that I often stop in when I’m home. This time I was looking to pick up another … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Isaiah 60:1-7 January 5, 2020 Tomorrow is Epiphany, a word that means a manifestation. Think of it as an “a-ha” moment. It’s the 12th Day of Christmas, but in the Western World, Christmas Day … Continue reading
I am in North Carolina, taking a few days off and sitting inside watching it rain… Here’s my last post of the year as I review two recent books I’ve read. I hope everyone has a wonderful New Year’s Eve … Continue reading
Merry Christmas everyone. Today was beautiful in South Georgia, a nice day for a walk with the dog, after opening present, playing a new board game (Ticket to Ride: Rails and Sails), and continually snacking on ham. For the past … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Matthew 1:18-25 December 22, 2019 The Isaiah scripture is also referenced in Matthew’s telling of the birth narrative.[1] Before I read it, let me tell you a bit about the opening of Matthew’s gospel. … Continue reading
Granddaddy Faircloth Christmas Day, 1966 Jeff Garrison I’m now ten years older than you were when I snapped that photo, a nine year old boy on Christmas morning with his new camera, a Kodak Instamatic. It took some persuasion for … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Luke 1:46-55 December 15, 2019 Earlier in the first chapter of Luke’s gospel, the angel Gabriel met Mary in Nazareth to give her the good news. However, I’m not … Continue reading
A little over a month ago, I attended the closing session of the Pat Conroy festival. Most of the events were held in Beaufort, SC, but the closing one was held in Bluffton, which is just across the river a … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Matthew 3:1-12 December 8, 2019 Our series, “Let Heaven and Nature Sing,” is all about joy. But this series is also based on traditional lectionary readings from scripture and today’s reading, on the … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison A talk given at the St. Andrew Society for the City of Savannah’s Annual Banquet November 30, 2019 The title for my talk this evening is “A Glorious Defeat.” By the time I’m done, I hope you … Continue reading
Every day, Garrison Keillor sends out a new edition of “The Writer’s Almanac.” He always begins each day’s post with a poem. Today’s poem was by Charles Simic and titled “Nineteen Thirty-eight.” Thinking about his poem written about the year of … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 4:32-35 November 24, 2019 “The story of Jesus doesn’t end with Jesus,” Eugene Peterson writes in Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places. The Christian story continues on in this community and in … Continue reading
Bonnie Jo Campbell, Once Upon a River (New York: W.W. Norton, 2011), 348 pages. I enjoyed this novel even though it was hard to get through the opening part which included an incestuous rape of Margo, a teenage girl. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church 1 Timothy 6:17-19 November 17, 2019 Last week scripture from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount was used to explore how we might “look in” on the role money plays in our … Continue reading
Barbara Tuchman, A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century (New York: Knopf, 1978), 720 pages including notes and index. Some plates of photos and artwork. The world, or at least Western Europe, seemed to be coming apart in the … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church November 10, 2019 Matthew 6:19-24 Our morning passage comes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Jesus forces us to consider what we value. Ponder this. What would you grab if your … Continue reading
Not Guilty by C. Lee McKenzie Published October 2019 This book grabbed my attention in the first chapter and kept me engaged throughout. I didn’t want to put it down, wanting to figure out how the protagonist, Devon, gets through … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Matthew 22:15-22 October 27, 2019 Homecoming is a time to look back, and the sermon is titled “Looking Back.” But we don’t look back just to be nostalgic. Instead, we should look back to … Continue reading
Last night, Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church held our first “Civility Forum.” The purpose of these forums is to help people communicate with those with whom they disagree and to be civil in their discourse. It was moderated by Jessica Savage, … Continue reading
A high bluff along the western bank of the Lumber River just south of US 74, Pea Ridge is a lovely spot. We arrive early enough to enjoy it. For a wilderness site that is only accessible to the public … Continue reading
Beverly Willett, Disassembly Required: A Memoir of Midlife Resurrection (New York: Post Hill Press, 2019), 269 pages. The framework of this story is rather simple. The author sells her home in Brooklyn, New York and moves to Savannah, Georgia. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Jeremiah 8:18-9:3 October 13, 2019 I’d ridden my bicycle down to the marina to meet with some friends late Friday. It was after dark when I left. With a rather bright … Continue reading
Ben Sasse, Them: Why We Hate Each Other and How to Heal (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2018), 272 pages including notes and an index. One would need to be deaf and blind not to realize there are serious … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Jeremiah 4:5-31 October 6, 2019 We’re back working through sections of Jeremiah in our series titled Prophecies and Pottery. And we’re moving backwards in Jeremiah. Two Sundays ago, we looked at what … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church September 22, 2019 Jeremiah 18:1-12 How many of you have a cabinet at home filled with Tupperware and other such plastic containers? (Raise your hands. Be honest). If your home is like mine, … Continue reading
It’s been a while since I had a post on my activities, so I decided I’d do a full moon to full moon post. The August full moon occured on the 15th, and I was at Cumberland Falls, Kentucky. It … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church September 15, 2019 Jeremiah 2:1-13 We began our series on Prophesies and Pottery last week, when we saw how Jeremiah was formed by God to be his mouthpiece to Israel. Our image was … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church September 8, 2019 Jeremiah 1:4-10 The prophet Jeremiah lived in interesting times. He was one of the longest serving prophets in Israel’s history, his calling coming as the Assyrians were … Continue reading
Dorian is gone. It was more a “non-event” here. I ended up not evacuating even though I continued to watch the Weather Channel to see if things might change. But the storm stayed well off the Georgia coast. We received … Continue reading
This photo was taken at Delegal Creek last night as the sunset. Hurricane Dorian is several hundred miles south at this point. Today, as I write this, we have had a few bands of rain with wind, but nothing too … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Luke 14:7-14 September 1, 2019 The fourteenth chapter of Luke’s gospel opens with Jesus attending a dinner party at the home of a leading Pharisee. It’s the Sabbath, so it’s a special gathering … Continue reading
Zach Powers, First Cosmic Velocity (New York: Putman, 2019), 340 pages. I’m not sure how to classify this novel. At times I thought the author had written the first anti-Sci-fi (similar to the anti-western genre of films that began … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Hebrews 12:1-2 August 25, 2019 Why do we exist? What is our purpose in life? The Westminster Confession says we’re to enjoy and glorify God. That’s succinct. In Rick Warren’s … Continue reading
John Sexton, Baseball as a Road to God: Seeing Beyond the Game (New York: Gotham Books, 2013), 242 pages including photos, index and bibliography. Sexton, the president of New York University, has written a wonderful book that shares … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Luke 12:32-40 August 11, 2019 A group of 12 Presbyterians spent the morning working on a new Habitat for Humanity home in Garden City. Four of us from this church, along with … Continue reading
J. Philip Newell, Listening to the Heartbeat of God: A Celtic Spirituality (New York: Paulist Press, 1997), 112 pages. I have some problems with this book, but I’m glad I read it. I did like the last chapter where … Continue reading
At the bottom of the sermon, I have the opening of my pastoral prayer for the day as I reflect on the atrocities our nation experienced yesterday and early this morning in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio. Jeff Garrison … Continue reading
This is another “recycled blog post” from an old blog from my journey from Indonesia to Europe taken during a sabbatical in 2011. I am concentrating on my travel blogs (mostly by train) instead of the others where I was … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Romans 12:1-3 July 28, 2019 Have you ever felt like you’re taking two steps forward and one step back? Sometimes life’s that way. It’s like climbing a cinder cone volcano. The … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Philippians 2:1-11 July 21, 2019 In her book, Sailboat Church, Joan Gray writes: “the church’s divine nature is not always easy to see. Sometimes it takes … Continue reading
A lot of students have fantasies of having teachers locked up. For my 5th grade teacher, it wasn’t a fantasy, it was a horrific experience. As a Marine embassy guard in China, which was behind enemy lines when the war began, … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church July 14, 2019 Ephesians 3:14-21 There’s an old story about a pastor making a hospital call with a man who’d been in a terrible accident. The doctors said he’d never walk again. The … Continue reading
This post is from an older blog of mine from when I was on a Sabbatical and traveled overland trip from Southeast Asia to Europe. As much as possible, I traveled by trains. We pull out of Singapore’s Tangong … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church July 7, 2019 John 8:31-36 With pomp and circumstance, along with fireworks, hot dogs, watermelons, sunburns, and thunderstorms, we celebrated our Nation’s birthday on Thursday, Independence Day. But what does freedom mean? What are … Continue reading
Joy Harjo, Conflict Resolutions for Holy Beings: Poems. (New York: W. W. Norton, 2015) 139 pages. I picked up this book after learning that Joy Harjo has been appointed poet laureate for the United States. It’s exciting because she’s the … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church June 30, 2019 Luke 9:51-59 As I was pondering the direction of today’s sermon, I came across this quote: “We do well to remember that the Bible has far more to say … Continue reading
I spent last week at a church camp at the Ebeneezer Retreat Center near Rincon, Georgia. I led the outdoor activities for the youth, which included taking the middle and high school youth on a canoe trip. While they … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church 1 Kings 19:1-15 June 23, 2019 As a music tradition, the Blues rose out of the African American experience of slavery. In song, they cried about their plight as they longed … Continue reading
From my recent readings. They’re all different! Anjali Sachdeva, All the Names They Used for God (Siegel & Grau, 2018), 257 pages. This is a collection of short stories and the first book by Ms. Sachdeva. I heard Sachdeva read … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church 1 Corinthians 2 June 16, 2019 Who likes to dance? I’ll admit that I have two left feet and am not exactly graceful on the dance floor. But thankfully, when it comes to … Continue reading
This is my third and final post about a 5 day, 4 night paddle in the Okefenokee Swamp. The map shows our route as we started at Kingfisher … Continue reading
This blessing was read at the end of worship yesterday, June 9th, as we honored Hazel for all she has done for our community. In the afternoon, the Landings Association held a reception for Hazel at the Sunset Room at … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church John 14:8-17 June 9, 2019 Today is Pentecost, the birthday of the church, a day to wear red in remembrance of those tongues that appeared as flames announcing the arrival of the Spirit. … Continue reading
This is Part 2 of a 3 part series on a recent trip through the Okefenokee Swamp. Click here for part 1. It is amazing how tired one can be after a day of paddling. Last night, we both were … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church 1 Corinthians 15:51-58 June 2, 2019 I’ve seen the bodies of Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi and Lenin (not John) in Moscow. Walking pass their preserved flesh, … Continue reading
We leave our vehicles at Okefenokee Adventures where we have arranged for a shuttle to our put-in site some twenty-five miles to the north. In five days (four for Gary, who will leave a day before me), I’ll come out … Continue reading
David Halberstam, The Fifties (1993, New York: Ballantine Books, 1994), 800 pages including index’s and notes, plus 32 pages of black and white prints. The decade was 70% completed when I was born. I have no recall of the … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church First Corinthians 15:35-50 May 26, 2019 Today, I’m in my fourth of five sermons on the 15th Chapter of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth. That may sound like a lot … Continue reading
Yesterday’s worship service focused on our responsible use of social media. Here is a review of a book that reminds the church how we might use such media in a positive way. Click here to read yesterday’s sermon, “A Light … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Matthew 5:14-16 May 19, 2019 Over the past year, Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church has invested a lot of money along with both volunteer and staff time to help our congregation improve its technology. … Continue reading
I’m catching up on my reading… I keep thinking I’ll write short reviews for posts like this and I never do! These are some of the books I’ve read over the past month. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Purple Hibiscus (2003, New … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church 1 Corinthians 15:29-34 May 12, 2019 I have been reading Chimamanda Adichie’s novel, Purple Hibiscus. Set in Nigeria during a politically unstable time, it’s the story of Kambili, a fifteen year old girl … Continue reading
This was originally posted in my other blog and written in January 2012, shortly after making this trip. The air is crisp and Orion has dropped into the western sky as we make our way into the Flagstaff train … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church 1 Corinthians 15:12-28 April 28, 2019 In a devotion for last Sunday, Easter Day, Richard Rohr, reminded his readers that “Easter isn’t celebrating a one-time miracle as if it only happened in the … Continue reading
Notes on the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans Bruce Ezell, ©2003 These questions and answers on the Kirkin come from Elder Bruce Ezell, an elder at Laurinburg Presbyterian Church (North Carolina). It was written as a primer for their Kirkin’ … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Easter Sunday, 2019 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Resurrection Day! The most holy day in the Christian calendar as we celebrate the risen Christ! And what a glorious day we’re enjoying. Today I begin a series … Continue reading
Easter Sunrise Services are held at Landings Harbor Marina this Sunday (April 21) at 6:30 PM. Below is an article that appeared in The Skinnie, March 16, 2018. The Sun Will Come Up The wake-up call came at … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Mark 2:21-28 April 14, 2019 We’re coming to the last Sunday in our series, “Busy: Reconnecting with an Unhurried God.” I hope you have discovered a freedom to enjoy life and God and not … Continue reading
Arthur C. Brooks, Love Your Enemies: How Decent People Can Save America for the Culture of Contempt (HarperCollins, 2019), 243 pages, index and notes. In this year’s January Series from Calvin College, I heard Brooks speak. Much of his … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 April 7, 2019 Now that we have heard the first eight verses of the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, let’s now listen for the next seven verses as I … Continue reading
I am heading to a conference at Ghost Ranch, a Presbyterian Conference Center in North New Mexico, so there will be no sermon this week. Instead, let me catch up by providing three short (for me) book reviews of works … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church March 24, 2019 Luke 10:38-42 Our morning Gospel reading this morning stands in contrast to our Old Testament lesson. In our first reading, we heard about a Shunamite woman who, out of the … Continue reading
Belden C. Lane, The Solace of Fierce Landscapes: Exploring Desert and Mountain Spirituality (Oxford University Press, 1988), 282 pages including notes, index, and some photos included within the text. This is a complicated book. Lane weaves together personal experiences in … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Psalm 23 March 17, 2019 Let us pray: “Where there is darkness, give us light. Where there is ignorance, give us knowledge. Where there is knowledge, give us wisdom. And for … Continue reading
Dan Janal, Write Your Book in a Flash: The Paint-by-Numbers System to Write the Book of Your Dreams-Fast! (TCK Publishing, 2018), 180 pages. I was skeptical as I began flipping through this book. I was easy to skim and … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church March 10, 2019 Matthew 11:28-30 Jig Pendleton is crazy on religion. He’s a character in Nathan Coulter, a Wendell Berry’s novel. Jig lives alone in a shanty overlooking the Kentucky River. Like some … Continue reading
Courtney Hargrave, Burden: A Preacher, A Klansman, and a True Story of Redemption in the Modern South (New York: Convergent Books, 2018), 227 pages, no photos or index, 22 pages of notes and sources. Michael Burden, a troubled young … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Numbers 11:21-30 March 3, 2019 I’ve been out of the pulpit here for two weeks—it seems like a long time. Last week Deanie preached and the week before was the Presbytery pulpit exchange. … Continue reading
I am loving my winter garden. It is the only advantage of living where there is no real winter. In the fall, I planted cabbage (red and green), cauliflower, brussel sprouts, kale, swiss chard, mustard greens, three kinds of lettuce, … Continue reading
Some of you have followed this on Facebook, but I thought I would compile the process here. What started with a neighboring farmer offering a couple of turmeric rhizomes (the tubers from which spice is harvested and which also grows … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Numbers 11:31-35 February 10, 2019 We are on our fourth week of looking at the Hebrew people in the wilderness. We have seen how they have complained about the food, how they have … Continue reading
Ron Chernow, Grant (New York: Penguin, 2017), 1074 pages including bibliography, an index, and 16 pages of black and white photos. U. S. Grant is an amazing story. Even how he came upon his name (which was latter joked to … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Numbers 11:16-20 February 3, 2019 We are currently working our way through the 11th chapter of the book of Numbers. Some may wonder, “why Numbers?” After all, it’s an obscure book … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Numbers 11:10-15 January 27, 2019 This is our second week exploring the “land between,” that place where we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. When we are in the land between, … Continue reading
Billy Beasley, The Preacher’s Letter. (Little Elm, TX: eLectio Publishing, 2018), 265 pages Troy Dawkins is a middle aged kid trying to figure out life. He lives a solidarity life with his dog, Max, working as a bouncer at … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Numbers 11:1-9 January 20, 2019 As we worship in his beautiful sanctuary on a mild, yet wet and windy winter day, we should acknowledge and be thankful. Not everyone gathering for worship … Continue reading
Needing some “me” time, I took off Sunday afternoon and paddled over to Little Tybee Island, where I camped, returning on Monday. The weather was marginal, as it had rained in the morning and was still gray at 3:30 PM, … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church January 13, 2019 Psalm 29 Upcoming! Starting next week, I will be preaching a series of sermons from the Book of Numbers. In this series, we’ll look at the Hebrew … Continue reading
Olivia Laing, To the River (Edinburgh: Canongate, 2011), 281 pages, a few black and white photos. The first sentence of this book, “I am haunted by waters,” jumped out at me. I’d read it before. It’s the ending line … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Matthew 2:1-12 January 6, 2019 This Sunday is Epiphany. In the Christian calendar it marks the end of the Christmas season as we see the decorations disappear. Epiphany means a surprise … Continue reading
Scott Stillman, Wilderness: The Gateway to the Soul (Boulder, CO: Wild Soul Press, 2018), 198 pages. I really wanted to like this book. I thought I would enjoy it. After all, like Stillman, I have done many wilderness trips, both … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Psalm 90 December 30, 2018 INTRODUCTION This is an in-between time. We’re still in the Christmas season, but all the present have been open. And we’re just a day and a … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Homily for Nicky Pipkin’s Funeral December 22, 2018 Psalm 100 I first met Nicky at the beginning of the 4th Grade when we were both assigned to Miss Freeman’s classroom. A shy boy, he was by far the … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Christmas Eve 2018 John 1:1-14 Throughout Advent, we’ve been reading traditional seasonal passages about the coming and birth of Christ using the various Christian traditions outlined by Richard Foster in Streams of Living Water … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Luke 2:8-20 December 23, 2018 This Advent and Christmas season we have explored the traditional passages of the season through the lens provided in Richard Foster’s book, Streams of Living Waters. Foster outlines … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Luke 3:1-20 December 16, 2018 Let’s watch a video…[1] Those of us who anticipate the coming of something great during this season may, once again, be sucked in by Madison Avenue. If … Continue reading
A version of this article of mine appeared in the Presbyterian Outlook, volume 181, #42 (December 20, 1999. The elevator inside the over-sized Coca-Cola bottle whisks us up to the fourth floor. As we step out and back into the 1930’s, … Continue reading
Joseph D. Small, Flawed Church, Faithful God: A Reformed Ecclesiology for the Real World (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018), 242 pages including indexes and bibliography. It has been suggested that ecclesiology, the doctrine of the church, is the weak link … Continue reading
I was scheduled to preach at an anniversary service for a church in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Sunday, September 23. Unfortunately, I was not able to make it as all the roads had flooded thanks to hurricane Florence. Furthermore, the … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Matthew 1:18-25 December 9, 2018 This Advent and Christmas season we’re exploring seasonal scripture passages through the lens of various traditions in which we encounter and respond to God. As I pointed … Continue reading
Harrison Scott Key, Congratulations, Who Are You Again? A Memoir (New York: Harpers, 2018) , 347 pages including five appendices and no illustrations except an ink figure of a dog drawn by Beetle, the author’s daughter, while I waited for … Continue reading
A blessing for Walt and Carol Walt and Carol, when you first came here, I am sure you had no idea what this place would hold: the joy and laughter, the celebration of holidays, the seriousness of the study of … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church December 2, 2018 Luke 1:46-55 The sanctuary at Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church is magical this time of the year. I hope you have a chance, when driving by at night, to enjoy our trees … Continue reading
I haven’t written anything about my travels West in late September and early October. We flew into Las Vegas and drove up for a few days in Cedar City, Utah, where we saw many friends and spent time with … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 November 18, 2018 Today, I want us to look at Paul’s second letter to the church in Corinth. The Corinthian letters show us that conflict within a Christian community isn’t something … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 28:17-31 November 11, 2018 This past Wednesday at the mission dinner, many of you took advantage to hear M K tell the story of his conversion to the Christian faith and … Continue reading
Stephen Kinzer, The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War (New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2013), 402 pages including notes, bibliography and index plus 8 plates of black and white photographs. Two of the most … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 28:1-16 November 4, 2018 As we have seen over the last couple of months, Paul knows he’s supposed to be in Rome. He wants to preach the … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 27:27-44 October 28, 2018 Today we’re reminded of God’s presence, even in the midst of the storms of our lives. But before we get to that, let’s again call on … Continue reading
Larry Larance, A Better Looking Corpse: and other Southern Short Stories (Savannah, GA: Windchimes Press, 2007) 203 pages I haven’t meet Larance, but we live on the same island (Skidaway). I was lent a copy of his book by … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 27:1-12 October 21, 2018 Last Sunday we focused on Paul’s speech before Agrippa and Festus. Some scholars suggest that speech is the climax for the Book of Acts. Paul lays out his … Continue reading
David Gessner, Return of the Osprey: A Season of Flight and Wonder (Ballantine Books, 2001), 289 pages, 1 rough map. I purchased this book (along with an alumni sweatshirt) ten years ago at the University of North Carolina at … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 26 (19-32) October 14, 2018 One of my goals over the past three years have been to preach through the book of Acts. Part of the reason is my belief the church in … Continue reading
This summer Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church made a major investment in our sanctuary to both enhance our worship with four large screens and to broadcast our worship with three remote controlled cameras. Out thanks to everyone who played a role … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Mark 9:38-50 October 7, 2018 It’s World Communion Sunday and Christians around the globe gather around this table to celebrate. But why? What are we to be about? A definition of a Christian … Continue reading
I will be away for the next two weeks, so I thought I’d leave you with a blog post that I wrote in June 2011, when I was on Sabbatical and traveling mostly by train across Indonesia and then from … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 25:13-27 September 16, 2018 What a week! There’s been a lot of anxious anticipation. For a few days I wondered if we would even be here today. Perhaps, I thought, we’d be living … Continue reading
Last week, I spent three days at New Ebenezer Retreat Center, which is located near Rincon, about an hour west of her. I spent the time planning sermons for the coming year, some writing, and some reading. But since the … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 25:1-12 September 9, 2018 In the quote on the flyleaf of the bulletin, we’re reminded that Luke, the author of both the gospel and the Book of Acts, is writing to a person. … Continue reading
Beth Lindsay Templeton, Uncharted Journey: On the Challenges of Getting Older and Other Transitions (Greenville SC: FPS Press, 2018), 169 pages. This book consists of 42 letters written by a secret admirer to the reader. The letters vary in … Continue reading
Bubba and Squirt’s Big Dig to China by Sherry Ellis My friend, Sherry Ellis, has just published a new children’s book about two kids digging their way to China. In kicking off its publication, she asked her blogging friends to … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 24:24-27 September 2, 2018 What do we say when we are called or have an opportunity to speak to those in power? How do we behave? How do we act? Speaking to … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church August 26, 2018 John 6:60-69 I’m stepping away from our journey through Acts today and want us to take a look at a passage in John’s gospel. This passage comes at the end … Continue reading
Carey Nieuwhof, Didn’t See It Coming: Overcoming the 7 Greatest Challenges That No One Expects and Everyone Experiences (New York: WaterBrook, 2018), 211 pages. In this book Nieuwhof draws on personal events within his own life as he outlines … Continue reading
John O’Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings (New York: Doubleday, 2008), 223 pages In the winter of 2000, I bumped into a Buddhist monk at a temple outside of Sunch’on, South Korea. He immediately stepped … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 23:13-24 August 12, 2018 We often pray to God for help and protection. At least, I know I do. Hopefully you also trust the Lord enough to bring your troubles to him in … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 22:30-23:11 August 5, 2018 How do we sustain ourselves when we feel compiled to stand up for the truth when others around disagree? Our passage today answers this question. Paul is about … Continue reading
George Saunders, Pastoralia: Stories and a Novella (New York: Riverhead Books, 2000), 189 pages. As I read the novella, Pastoralia, I was reminded of the trapped souls in Kafka’s writings. Here, two characters are a part of a primitive … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 22:17-29 July 29, 2018 Last week, in our walk through the final chapters of the Book of Acts, we left Paul on the steps of the Roman barracks, adjacent to the Court … Continue reading
Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking (New York: Penguin Books, 2000), 326 pages, notes and some photographs. 13 hours and 58 minutes on Audible. The title drew my attention. I’m a wanderlust and walker so this book was … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 21:27-22:1 July 22, 2018 Last week we learned that Paul finally arrived in Jerusalem. There’s a warm welcome by the leaders of the church. They praise God for the work that … Continue reading
Brendan McDonough with Stephan Talty, Granite Mountain: The Firsthand Account of a Tragic Wildfire, Its Lone Survivor, and the Firefighters Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice (New York: Hachette Books, 2016), 178 pages plus an insert of 8 pages of prints. … Continue reading
With a new PBS documentary coming on our Mister Rogers, along with a movie starring Tom Hanks as Fred Rogers in the works, it’s a good time to look back on this gentle man and what he taught. For a couple … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 21:1-17 July 15, 2018 We continue our journey through the Book of Acts this week as we explore the third and final leg of Paul’s journey to Jerusalem. You can see … Continue reading
This article appeared in the October 22, 2007 issue of the Presbyterian Outlook. The photo is from the early 1990s and shows Brent and a younger me (I still had some hair) after a day of skiing in Ellicottville, NY. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 20:17-38 July 8, 2018 We’re back to Acts this week, the book in the Bible that informs us of the amazing feats of God. God took a measly group of disciples and … Continue reading
Eric Goodman, In the Days of Awe (New York: Washington Square Press, 1991), 288 pages. It appears that Jewish Joe Singer has hit rock bottom. A talented pitcher is, at the end of one season, divorced and banned from baseball. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Mark 5:1-20 July 1, 2018 Having been away for nine days and knowing I was going to be in a time crunch, I’m taking a break from our tour through the Book of Acts … Continue reading
by Jeff Garrison The 223rd General Assembly that met in St. Louis this June provided an opportunity for me to reflect back on ministry and the denomination. My first General Assembly, the 200th, was held in St. Louis in 1988. … Continue reading
The title of this post might raise a few eyebrows. Let me assure you, such a summer has nothing to do with me as my Great-Grandparents were in diapers during the summer of 1884. That summer was a pivotal year … Continue reading
Michelle Layer Rahal, Straining Forward: Minh Phuong Towner’s Story (Maitland, FL: Xulon Press, 2018), 355 pages, 10 pages of photos. I was introduced to Minh in 2011. I was preparing a sabbatical after leading First Presbyterian Church of Hastings … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 20:7-14 June 17, 2018 Today’s topic is sleeping in church. Some might think this is an appropriate topic for Father’s Day. I’ll let you be the judge of that one. I assure … Continue reading
Thomas S. Rainer, Autopsy of a Deceased Church: 12 Ways to Keep Yours Alive (Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2014), 102 pages. Carey Nieuwhof, Lasting Impact: 7 Powerful Conversations that Will Help Your Church Grow (Rethink Group, 2015) 169 pages. Both … Continue reading
I looked at Weather Bug or maybe it was Weather Underground Friday morning before setting off on a solo paddle to Wassaw Island. According to what I saw, there was a 30 percent chance of rain, which would diminish after … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 19:23-41 June 10, 2018 The Apostle Paul spent between two and three years in Ephesus. Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles, provides us with several pictures of … Continue reading
For the last few years I have been a part of a writer’s group, the Peacock Guild, that meets in the childhood home of Flannery O’Conner. Every year we hold a public reading on a Sunday afternoon. It’s the last … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Acts 19:1-20 June 3, 2018 Back in 2015, I began preaching through the Book of Acts. That year we looked at the story of the church up to the beginning of Paul’s … Continue reading
Last Wednesday evening was the final Bible Study class until fall. During these classes, someone volunteers to make soup and provide bread for a simple meal. As I am teaching, I don’t often volunteer, but as we were coming toward … Continue reading
Alister McGrath, In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changes a Nation, A Language, and a Culture (2001: New York: Anchor, 2002). 338 pages, a few illustrations, list of sources and an index. While … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church May 27, 2018 John 3:1-17 In the liturgical calendar, today is Trinity Sunday. The Trinity, like God, cannot be fully understood by those of us who are mere mortals. It’s a mystery. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Ezekiel 37:1-14 May 20, 2018 I pretty much thought I had the sermon all together Friday. Then, after the wonderful preschool graduation, I came home and learned about the latest school shooting. These have … Continue reading
Where there is despair, give hope. Where there is darkness, bring light. Where there is ignorance, grant wisdom, And for those of us who have grasped the truth, give humility. -Rev. Dr. Raymond Nott One of the benefits and … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church May 13, 2018 Psalm 1 We’re exploring the very first Psalm today. Before we get to the Scripture, I want talk a bit about Psalms. Whenever I’ve preached from the Psalms, I’ve tried … Continue reading
My grandmother was moved from her home of 70 years in 2008, to an assisted living facility near my Uncle’s near Hickory NC. In 2009, I was back visiting in NC and my Uncle brought my grandmother back to her … Continue reading
Most of us camping on Garden Key stand together on the beach watching the light fade from the western sky. The skies are mostly clear and the water surrounding the Key and Fort Jefferson ripples in from the southerly wind. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church May 6, 2018 I John 4:1-6 A few weeks ago I preached on the first chapter of 1st John. I noted then that this a love letter written to a church of whom … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church April 29, 2018 John 15:1-17 Have you ever asked yourself why we profess in the Apostles’ Creed to believe in the holy catholic church? “Didn’t we break away from the Catholics back … Continue reading
Marc A. Jolley, Safe at Home: A Memoir of God, Baseball, and Family (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2005), 139 pages, a few photos. This is a delightful book in which Jolley recalls childhood memories with his father on … Continue reading
Buck and Nancy were the youth group advisors at church during my Senior High years. They were both teachers. Buck, who’d done a stint with the Marine Corps as an officer in Vietnam, taught high school biology and Nancy taught in … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Psalm 85 April 15, 2018 On this Sunday in which we celebrate our Scottish heritage, let me speak a bit about the Reformation in Scotland. Unlike the Swiss, German and English Reformations that … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church April 8, 2018 1 John 1:1-2:2 Today we’ll explore the opening of the 1st Letter of John. The letters of John have numerous similarities with the Gospel of John. Both begin talking about … Continue reading
This week marks the fiftieth anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination in Memphis, Tennessee. He was shot early in the evening of April 4th, 1968. In honor of the memory, I attended a Learning Center lecture held at First … Continue reading
Leon Prather, Sr., “We Have Taken a City”: The Wilmington Racial Massacre and the Coup of 1898 (1984, Southport, NC: Dram Tree Books, 2006), 214 pages, black and white photos. “Politics, the old cliche goes, “makes strange bedfellows.” This can be seen in … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Revelation 5 April 1, 2018 I can’t stand before you this morning without at least acknowledging the day. Yes, it’s Easter. But it’s also April Fool’s Day. This day doesn’t fall … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church 1 Peter 1:13-25 March 25, 2018 We’ve done a survey of passages related to the Lamb of God within Scripture during this season of Lent. Starting in the Old Testaments, we saw how … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church John 1:29-37 March 18, 2018 We’ve been looking at Old Testament passages which provide a background for our understanding of “The Lamb of God” over the past month. We saw in Genesis … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Isaiah 53 March 11, 2018 In Genesis, we learn that the consequence of sin and disobedience of God is death.[1] In the last two weeks, we’ve look at the scripture passages dealing … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Genesis 22:1-14 March 4, 2018 Last week, I began a series of Lenten Sermons focusing on the theme, “Lamb of God.” This series will continue through Easter, when we meet the resurrected … Continue reading
Brennen Arkins, The Magic Kings (2015), 259 pages. The transition from elementary to middle school is a tough time for all students. For Alan and his classmates, it is made more uncertain by the 911 terrorist attacks that occurs at … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Exodus 12:21-32 February 25, 2018 I’m sure many of you have seen the movie Fiddler on the Roof. It’s about a poor Russian Jewish milkman named Tevye, who has an incredible voice. His family … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church February 4, 2018 Philippians 4:4-20 As a Boy Scout, I loved a good game of Capture the Flag. We often camped in Holly Shelter Swamp on the banks of the Northeast Cape … Continue reading
Brendan Mungwena Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church January 28, 2018 I am aged 22, I have 5 siblings whom I love unconditionally which my mother did a great job on teaching us how to love, as well as tolerate each … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Burns’ Night Talk St. Andrew’s Society of the City of Savannah January 26, 2018 Wow! In our program I am identified as a Rector. I’m not sure how to take this. Should I be honored? After all, … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church January 21, 2018 Philippians 3:2-17 What’s our number one priority? What’s the most important thing for us to accomplish? What should we all be striving for? As followers of Jesus Christ, we’re to … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church January 14, 2018 Philippians 1:27-2:10 We’re continuing our journey through Philippians. Paul has a special place in his heart for this church. It’s in Philippi, on the Sabbath, that Paul, Timothy and Silas … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Philippians 1:1-21 January 7, 2018 For the next month, I’m going to focus on Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi. Unlike many of his other letters, where there were serious issues … Continue reading
JEFF GARRISON Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Christmas Eve Homily 2017 Luke 2:1-15 In this past Thursday’s Wall Street Journal, there was an article I hope you saw, titled “The Salvation of ‘Napalm Girl’”. When I saw “Napalm Girl,” … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Fourth Sunday of Advent: Mark 1:1-8 December 24, 2017 This is a weird day thanks to the way Christmas falls this year. As with most churches, we celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve at night. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Mark 13:24-37 December 17, 2017 Sarah and her thirteen-year-old sister have been fighting a lot this year. This happens when you combine a headstrong two-year-old, who is sure she’s always right, with … Continue reading
This morning I was one of three wise guys to present a short seasonal talk at the Skidaway Island Kiwanis Club. I was honored to share the podium with Pastor Jason Talness of Messiah Lutheran (he’s from Minnesota and a … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Mark 13:1-9 December 10, 2017 Advent is a time of waiting. Let’s face it; we’re not very good at it. Everything about our society wants to push us to go faster. We hear … Continue reading
Archibald Rutledge, Peace in the Heart (New York: Doubleday & Co, 1930), 316 pages, no illustrations Margaret Reagan introduced me to Archibald Rutledge and lent me this book. It’s the second of his books that I’ve read. Rutledge was … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Mark 8:11-21, 27-31 December 3, 2017 This is a beautiful season as lights pop up around the neighborhood. I’m not much for over-top-decorations. We’re not the Griswolds.[1] But I do like to … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church November 26, 2017 Ezekiel 34:11-24[1] Today is Christ the King Sunday. That may not mean much to those of us who grew up in non-liturgical churches. After all, Christ should be our king … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church November 19, 2017 Psalm 100 It is deer season. In other churches I’ve served, we had to schedule things like Consecration Sunday around opening day just to make sure we had some men … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Leviticus 23:9-14 November 12, 2017 There was once a Chinese rice farmer whose paddies were high on a hill overlooking the ocean. One day during harvest, there was an earthquake. He looked around … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 November 5, 2017 We spent last month looking at the foundational themes of the Protestant Reformation. Can you remember them? (Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Christ Alone, Scripture Alone and To God be … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church October 22, 2017 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 Over the past couple of decades there have been debates over the visible presence of the Ten Commandments in public places like courthouses. This has brought out … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Published in the Presbyterian Outlook, September 29, 2003 They’re marching in Alabama again. This time the destination is Montgomery and those marching are supporting Judge Roy Moore’s fight to keep a granite monument of the Ten Commandments … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Hebrews 4:14-5:10 February 15, 2017 Today is homecoming Sunday and our kickoff for our 40th year. So let me begin with a cautionary note. Scripture warns us not to look back. It’s … Continue reading
A New Logo The Session of Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church has adopted a new logo for our congregation. The logo includes our name, wavy lines representing water, the cross and the sign of the Trinity which together form a tree. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Romans 3:21-31 October 8, 2017 It is good to be back with you. I’ve been looking forward to this day for the past month because it meant we could share our new logo! … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Genesis 33:1-17 September 24, 2017 For the past two months we’ve been exploring stories of Jacob, the third patriarch of Israel. Last week, we heard that God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Genesis 32:22-32 September 17, 2017 Most of us, I expect, are a little exhausted. In the two weeks since we were last together, a lot has happened. Many of us, I’m sure, have done … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Genesis 31:22-55 September 3, 2017 We’re continuing to explore the passages in Genesis about Jacob and his dysfunctional family. In a way, Jacob is between a rock and a hard place. He’s … Continue reading
I know I raised a lot of questions with my sermon last week. Some of you really liked the sermon and encouraged me to keep taking bold steps while others were less encouraging. It was my hope that we would … Continue reading
As I have been preaching from the Jacob stories in Genesis this August and September, I thought I would also share a review to a novel based on Jacob’s story: Frederick Buechner, Son of Laughter (San Francisco: Harpers Collins, 1994), … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Genesis 31:1-21 August 27, 2017 In the past two sermons, I’ve mentioned how the stories of Jacob (as well as other stories from Scripture) would have been shared around the campfires. People would have … Continue reading
When I first look up at the sun through those funky glasses, it appears as if someone had taken just a nibble out of a cookie. Donna and I are in Springfield, South Carolina, a small town south … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Genesis 30:25-43 August 20, 2017 Before getting into the Scriptures for today, I thought I we’d have a little educational session about what we might experience tomorrow afternoon if the clouds stay away. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Genesis 29 August 6, 2017 We began our look at Jacob last week, reading about his dream in Genesis 28. I hope you learned that the Stairway to Heaven existed long before … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church July 30, 2017 Genesis 28:10-22 Some people have the idea that all the guys and gals on the Lord’s side are holy, but when you read the Bible you find that’s not the … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church James 5:7-20 July 23, 2017 It’s always bittersweet coming to an end. This is my last sermon from the Epistle of James, at least for a while. We’ve covered this Epistle thoroughly. At … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church July 16, 2017 Several of you have shared with me how much you like the book of James. You find his writings practical and helpful. We’ll see if that holds true after today. … Continue reading
Rosalind K. Marshall, Columba’s Iona: A New History (Dingwall, Scotland, UK: Sandstone Press, 2014) 210 pages plus 24 color plates, 8 black and white plates, notes, bibliography, and index. One must make a significant effort to visit Iona. It’s a … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church July 9, 2017 James 4:1-12 It’s good to be back with you. Thanks to the hard work of many of you, there is an excitement around here about our upcoming 40th … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church June 18, 2017 James 3:1-12 Barbara Brown Taylor, in her book Speaking of Sin, tells about a Lebanese Presbyterian classmate of hers in seminary. This guy threw, what she called, a “theological temper … Continue reading
Jane Dawson, John Knox, (New Haven: Yale, 2015), 373 pages, index and notes and 8 pages of illustrations. John Knox, the Protestant Reformer of Scotland, is often portrayed as a dour masochistic preacher and an opponent of Mary, Queen of … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church James 2:14-26 June 10, 2017 “Prayers never gets grass out de field,” Archibald Rutledge writes quoting from an African American who worked on his plantation in South Carolina in the early … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church James 2:1-14 June 4, 2017 It’s Pentecost. Why did God send his Spirit down upon the church like flames of fire? Was it just to help us get to heaven or did God want … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church James 1:16-27 May 28, 2017 We’re looking at the second half of the first chapter of the Letter of James this morning. Last week, in the first half of this chapter, we … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church James 1:1-15 May 21, 2017 During Lent we worked through Galatians. This week, we’ll begin a journey through the Book of James. These two works are often contrasted with each other. Galatians … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church May 7, 2017 John 10:1-18 The pastoral image of a shepherd is a frequent metaphor in Scripture. Herders of animals were common in Palestine, especially in the Old Testament times. Think about it, … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Psalm 103 April 30, 2017 Johnny had always wanted to take a ride in a balloon. He’d heard about how quiet they are and thought it was would be a delightful way … Continue reading
This past week Bunny Ludtke gave me a copy of a sermon that Fenton had given in 1962 at his church in Michigan. Fenton had been cleaning out papers for the upcoming shredding and had happened upon this sermon. He … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Ezekiel 2:1-7 April 23, 2017 John Knox, the reformer of the Church of Scotland which gave rise to the Presbyterian Church, was drawn to the book of Ezekiel as a model for … Continue reading
This Sunday, April 23, 2017, Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church will celebrate Scottish heritage with a Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans service. This blog post is a repeat of one done in 2016. The Kirkin’ is a colorful and festive service that … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church John 20:1-18 Easter Sunday 2017 When I was a kid, Easter wasn’t as exciting as Christmas. On Christmas morning, we got lots of presents and could stay in our pajamas as we … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Galatians 6:1-10 April 9, 2017 Palm Sunday is a difficult day to preach. We hear about the glorious parade of Jesus entering Jerusalem. It sounds like a time to celebrate, yet we … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Galatians 4:1-16 March 26, 2017 A farming community was experiencing a severe drought. Day after day, month after month, there were no clouds in the sky. Pastures dried up, crops wilted. Ranchers began … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Galatians 3:19-29 March 19, 2017 I shared this story this past Wednesday in the Bible Study that I’m teaching on Galatians. It’s a story of grace. LaGuardia, a former mayor of New York … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Galatians 2:11-21 March 12, 2017 H. L. Mencken once said “Believing the worst about another person may be a sin, but it is seldom a mistake.”[1] The sage of Baltimore isn’t known for his … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church March 5, 2017 Galatians 1:1-11 We’re entering the season of Lent. Early in church history, this was a traditional time of preparation for those desiring to be baptized on Easter Sunday. There are … Continue reading
Much of this material was taken from my homily during Al’s Memorial Service held at Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church on February 23, 2017. Here I am able to quote all of the first two letters Al wrote Chuck Colson. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Romans 6:2-11 February 26, 2017 My intention for this Sunday is to focus on the Christian Funeral and to use worship as a way to help us be mindful of our actions surrounding … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Genesis 3 February 12, 2017 Maybe we should talk about apples today as we look at Genesis 3. As I teased you last week, this is where things began to go terribly … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church Genesis 2:4b-25 February 5, 2017 This past Wednesday, as I was coming back from a worship conference at Calvin College on the train, I had an afternoon layover in Washington D.C. Union Station … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church January 15, 2017 Genesis 1:24-2:4 If you haven’t yet attended any of the Calvin January Series lectures,[1] I encourage you to do so. You don’t have to travel to Calvin College, for … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church January 8, 2017 Genesis 1:1-25 This past Tuesday night, I was camping in Mizell Prairie in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge. There is little dry ground to camp on in the swamp, especially … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church December 24, 2016 Isaiah 9:2-7 This evening, I’m basing my homily on a well-known passage from Isaiah, one that is often read during the Christmas season. The opening 2/3 of the book of … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church December 18, 2016 John 14:25-31 My grandmother created this needlepoint of Jesus as the Good Shepherd in the early 1930s. She was in high school. Money was tight and she used an old … Continue reading
I lost my grandmother this week. For a guy who’s been bald up top for longer than he’d like to remember, it was a blessing to have a grandmother for so long. I hope there is no prohibition against telling … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church December 11, 2016 John 10:22-39 We’re exploring passages from John’s gospel this Advent season that relate to what Jesus’ coming was all about. The first Sunday of Advent, we learned that Jesus’ followers … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church December 4, 2016 John 20:24-31 The Christmas season is to be a magical time, a time of miracles. There are magical elves assembling gifts in a North Pole workshop, an ostracized reindeer with a … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church November 27, 2016 John 15:18-27 Today is the first Sunday of Advent, a season in which we recall the waiting for the Messiah by the people of Israel while we wait for his return. … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church November 13, 2016 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 A few years ago I was flying on a commuter airline, you know the type where you have to squeeze yourself in and the aisle are not … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church November 5, 2016 1 Timothy 6:17-20 We’ve got a lot going on… A new elder ordained, quilts for valor, remembering saints, and communion. You’re probably thinking, “I hope he’s not too long this … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church October 30, 2016 Ephesians 1:3-14 Our topic this week, in our all-church study of Jeff Manion’s book, Satisfied: Discovering Contentment in a World of Consumption, is identity shift. When we are adopted into … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church October 23, 2016 Matthew 20:1-16 This is our second week of looking at topics found in the book Satisfied: Discovering Contentment in a World of Consumption. Last week we talked about enrolling … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church October 16, 2016 1 Timothy 6:3-10 After having spent the summer in the Book of Acts, we’re going to take a break. For the next six weeks, I am preaching on texts … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church October 2, 2016 Acts 18:18-28 Today we’re coming to the end of Paul’s second missionary journey as he leaves Corinth and heads back to his home base. What a trip it’s been. He … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church September 18, 2016 Acts 17:16-34 Last week, we ended up with Paul leaving Beroea, where a gang was out for his hide. He’s heading to Athens where he plans to wait for Timothy … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church September 11, 2016 Acts 17:1-15 Do you remember the horrific account of ISIS beheading Christians in Libya about a year ago? This past May, in a hearing held by the House Foreign Affairs … Continue reading
Jeff Garrison Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church September 4, 2016 Acts 16:25-40 Today we finish up Paul’s time in Philippi. When we left Paul and Silas last Sunday, they were locked up below the jailhouse. Paul’s accusers were upset … Continue reading