HELLO!

I don't want to do architecture that's dry and dull. Frank Gehry

I am currently reading Paul Goldberger’s biography of Frank Gehry: Building Art: The Life and Work of Frank Gehry. I have long had a fascination with both art and architecture, though I have never studied either. I believe the reason both attract me more than music has to do with the shapes and connections I can readily see, touch, the puzzle is easier to imagine as form. When our small family of three traveled to New York City and spent hours at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), it was me who didn’t want to leave, despite the fact our child is an artist (their Instagram acct, which includes their art guiguitheghoul).

Yesterday, I attended a ZOOM meeting of ecumenical clergy, we are planning the Good Friday service for April 2026. It reminded me why I often feel slightly different than my colleagues as we describe the faith communities we serve. Like all people, clergy want to know their work is appreciated. And when I began my ministry, in 1990, it was very important to me that people like me, see me as competent, even gifted at what I offer. That changed in 2002, I lost any appreciation of affirmation, and what replaced it was a need to 1) not break the fragile gift I was given to cultivate and celebrate and 2) help add a lens, a way to look at our community, what God is doing with us, that otherwise would not be vocalized. The first is a defensive worry, the second is a creative joy. And both exist in my mindset, everyday, every hour, that I ponder serving this church. “Don’t break this” and “Reveal something others may not see”, are my mission statements. If you watch me at an art gallery, I am conscious of not touching the art and seeing something others may miss. Purpose, laughter, and connection are my go-to filters.

At the end of my time with a church, I pray only that I do not leave cracks in the community I pass on to successors and have offered a lens otherwise not seen. I don’t compare myself, not since 2002, to others, compliments are meaningless. When people say I am missed, I imagine they said the same to those I succeeded. Clergy make the mistake of not realizing that when you are being compared favorably to another colleague, that same comparison was made to your successor, about you.

My goals in life are modest: 1) don’t mess up & 2) articulate a vision rarely expressed in a culture that values sameness. A man can dream.

Peace, Kevin