Epiphany 3 | Jonah 3:1-5, 10; 1 Cor 7:29-31; Mk 1:14-20 There are many places in my life I consider pivot points, moments in time where the before and after were markedly different. Going away to college was one of those, getting ordained was another. Probably one of the biggest was the moment I saw Lisa’s profile on Match.com. My life before Lisa and after Lisa are very different things indeed. Those of you who knew me pre-Lisa can probably attest: I was not a very happy guy

When I was training as a pastor, I went through a…well, let’s just say it was an alternative route. I didn’t go to seminary before I was ordained. I did go later, but not until about twenty years into my ministry. Consequently there were some holes in my training. One of them had to do with pastoral care, specifically around issues of grief, illness, and dying. When one of our parishioners was about to die, I realized that I was woefully unprepared to minister to him effectiv