Over the last three months, we were devastated and had to say a temporal good-bye...

...But we've also been able and blessed to say a temporal hello...

The "Lion and the Lamb" are in close proximity...  On Veterans Day, the cat who "owned us" for 13 years (She was close to 15 in years.) left us for the place where faithful companions are gathered.  On the Sunday after Christmas, Son Joseph rescued for us a similarly appearing young cat about a year old.  This rescue is in full possession of a tail - unlike the last, who lost hers in an encounter with some sort of machinery.  This family addition and her canine companion have learned to co-exist. What more can one hope for?

Psalm 34:8 (NIV)

Tomorrow I will have the privilege of leading Worship among the Faith Family of St. John's Lutheran Church in Bridgewater, MI, where there is no bridge and no water...just very caring people who love Jesus and who wish to serve the LORD, spread "good news" of His Love, and see to His ever-expanding Rule and Reign.  Join us on any given Sunday, and "...Taste and See that the LORD IS good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him..." (New International Version)

January Beginnings

It's 2013, and the "ugh" finally caught up with me.  I don't think it's the flu, because I've had the flu twice during the last 27 years and felt so much worse.  The first time I could barely stand, and the latter time I recall being as weak as kitten and sharing my remorse with an attendant at the Christmas wedding for which I was presiding.  He observed that he was headed straight home, missing the reception, as a new recipient of that year's bug.

Having said that, I still don't feel all that well and hope the quantity of fluid that is lurking around my head will soon vanish.  My voice is unreliably full of gravel, and a pastor without voice is like a fire fighter without a reliable hose.  Nonetheless, I am reminded of my own mortality, ever-present shortcomings, and I'm keenly aware that I need to make the most of every precious moment of life.  One of my Father's favorite songs before he died was, "I Hope You Dance."  Dad knew how to celebrate in ways that still evade me, and I'll have to take my cue from him...

Happy New Year one and all, and remember what one writer wrote:  You can give up all those New Year's resolutions for Lent - in just a few short weeks of growing daylight.

A Heartfelt Thanks...

I wish to humbly thank those who "wrote in" the name "Drexel Morton" for the 11th District Seat in the US House of Representatives.

Throughout the Primary Season I met many gracious people who are deeply concerned about our future.  This includes Nancy Cassis and her husband, persons who sacrificed their retirement leisure time to serve the common good.

Kudos to the Cassis family for their love of Community and Country.

This is only the beginning for me, because I now have a public voice that I intend to utilize in the days to come.  I intend to speak for those who may feel they have no voice and are somehow lost in the avalanche of special interest, PAC massive expenditures that place people in positions of influence, when, in actuality, we need "citizen servants," who will represent consituents and not the special interest groups.

Please join your voices to mine - post your support - as we move forward...one prayer and one encouraging word at a time...

Drexel Morton -

+Drex  :)

Letter Written on the 25th Anniversary of My Ordination

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

     If you walk out into our Memorial Garden at All Saints Lutheran Church, you will see the placement of several Memorial Bricks placed in perpetual memory of Cherished Ones.  In many cases we suggest placing Memorial Brick Pavers in honor of our Beloved Ones who may have been buried or memorialized elsewhere.  Placing a Memorial Brick Paver in the All Saints Memorial Garden may also serve as a reminder of your unique touch and involvement in the life of our Faith Family. 

     Please consider doing such, and speak with either Dennis or Carol Strong in that regard.  Either will give you complete details with respect to memorializing the persons of your choice in this permanent way.  Come, “watch our garden grow!” 

     Over almost the last two years, I’ve had the privilege of watching our Memorial Garden bloom and change with the change of the seasons.  Members of our Memorial Garden Committee are continually endeavoring to insure our garden is a place of sanctity, peace, and beauty.  Watching the garden change with the move of the seasons is an ever-present reminder that our lives move ever forward, that time is precious and to be redeemed, even in those moments when it seems as though time is standing still.

     That reminds me to remind us each that summertime is a fleeting thing in Michigan.  “It’s been a scorcher,” as my maternal grandmother used to say, but don’t forget to read a new devotional, study some Scripture, get together with loved ones, and hug such.  Time with those whom we treasure is fleeting and precious.  At home, in our many communities, among those who worship the Triune God, may we remember to make the most of every moment. 

     Even as I write this on July 19, I recall my Ordination into Word and Sacrament Ministry exactly 25 years ago as I write.  I’m here to assure you time seems to accelerate the longer you live…  Tomorrow my mother will celebrate her 87^th birthday, and I hope to remind her in some way that her life has been one of great worth.  To build one another up is what Jesus would have us do.

     Included is a photo of a Brick Paver in Memory of my dad.  The Ones we Love are never really lost to us, for the Touch of their Love goes on… 

     Don‘t forget to participate and to “Come watch our Garden Grow!”

In Christ,

Pr. Drex