Chris Yaw

I am a Christ Lover

Chris Yaw

Welcome! I’m an Episcopal priest serving a congregation in Metro Detroit... With a passion for gun safety... A zest for online Christian formation... A zeal for video blogging... A budding writer... A heart for those who have unintentionally harmed... A commitment to workforce housing... A love for marrying people... And a wonderful wife, three kids, and a cat... If we have common interests or not, I'd love to connect with you.

Me

Contact Details


  • St. David's Episcopal Church, 16200 W. Twelve Mile Road, Southfield, Michigan, 48076, USA


  • +011 248-557-5430


  • chris@stdavidssf.org

St. David's

I have served as rector of St. David's Episcopal Church in Southfield, MI for 16 years, join us Sundays in person or via zoom.

St. David's Gun Disposal

Working on the issue of unwanted gun disposal, we've made some real progress in helping rid the U.S. of unwanted firearms.

ChurchNext

Since 2013 we have been helping people learn more about faith through our online learning courses at ChurchNext.

Oakland Housing

Helping middle income families get better housing is a challenge that Oakland Housing has been addressing for 75 years.

Hyacinth Fellowship

Because hurting others hurts us, the Hyacinth Fellowship organizes support groups and reminds us that we are not our worst mistakes.

Yaw Wedding

I have been officiating weddings for more than 20 years and continue to find joy in helping couples build lifelong relationships.

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U.S. Guns Produced Today
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Americans Accidentally Killed Today
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Homeless Americans
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Weddings Performed
  • What You Love is Why You're Here

    What You Love is Why You're Here


    What do you love to do?
     
    I love the process of testing new ideas –
    My staff will tell you that our central pursuit here at St. David's is to throw things against the wall and see what sticks.
     
    I love beautiful things. Cars, photographs, and my wife.
     
    I love to read.
    I love to cook.
    I love to be with people.
     
    And I answer this question because I want you to.
     
    What do you love to do?
    Spend a moment on this.
     
    It’s important because what you love to do is why you’re here.
     
    It is the mark of the Gospel work you’ll contribute to the world.
     
    You and I understand that somehow our existence is not of our own making. God was up to something when God made you and me. And the fullness of God’s plan can only come about through every one of us being who God created us to be. And God created us to love. To be love. To do love.
     
    So what do you love to do?
     
    It’s more than just your passive preference.
    It’s your mission.

    --------------
    Reading

    Thin Blue Smoke - Don Worgul
    God is Red - Liao Yiwu

    Damn Few - Rorke Denver
  • We Will Stand with Boston

    We Will Stand with Boston



    I
    n Boston on Monday, two bombs scattered the sheep.

    Many who hadn’t come to race, found themselves running anyway.

    Others became shepherds.

    They turned their coats into bandages. They carted the injured off to safety. They returned home with bloodstains. Others opened their homes to the stranded. Donated blood. Bowed their heads in prayer.

    Coming to the aid of those who suffer is at the heart of what it means to be human. It is here where we find our deepest fulfillment. Given the choice to own a Ferrari, date a celebrity, or save someone’s life I would not be surprised if most people chose the latter.

    And God knows this. In fact, this Sunday churches around the world will celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, which is when we grab hold of that soul-saving notion that, just as God protects and keeps our souls, we are at our very best when we do the same.

    So as we move through the myriad of emotions - fear, insecurity, grief, and loss – we do well to consider that our anecdote lies in the courage to stand up, run to the rescue, care for the afflicted, and give of ourselves to those who need it. May the Good Shepherd grant us strength so to do.

    A link
    to some helpful prayers



    Reading:
    The Guidebook (NRSV Bible)
    God is Red – Liao Yiwu

    Entrepreneurial Leadershp Goosen and Stevens
  • What If Your Best Days Are Behind You?

    What If Your Best Days Are Behind You?



    It’s very possible your best days are behind you.

    Many of us suspect this but don’t want to admit it. And so it can linger inside as despair and sadness, only to come out as anger or depression - perhaps because we often look at our lives as a series of accomplishments and once we’ve done the best we’ve done, we’ve lost our usefulness. What’s more, the less we’ve ‘done’ lately, the more society relegates us to more distant spheres of irrelevance, which doesn’t help matters.

    Sunday’s Gospel says something about this.

    We meet the disciples after Jesus has risen and they have returned to their work as fishermen. While we suspect they are bewildered and depressed because their best days are behind them, the text does not tell us this. What it says is that they were willing to join St. Peter and go back to work. Then, it is in the midst of this work that, again they notice Jesus, who provides further proof and encouragement to go off and spread the good news.

    If all of life is a gift, then the gift of accomplishment is just that.

    The muse that comes to the four members of the boy band, giving them a chart-topping hit at age 17 then disappearing forever, is not a commentary on their creativity as much as it is a sobering insight into the capriciousness of accomplishment. If we built a business, raised incredible children, or put in 30 years at the company, great, the muse did her work and we are no less human, no less beloved, than we were before. We’ve been visited by a blessing that came from outside of us and over which we had little control.

    This means we are not that blessing. We cannot take credit for that blessing. We should not feel guilty if that blessing has moved on.

    Recognizing that all creativity, originality, insight, and ultimately accomplishment, originate outside of ourselves and visit us in its own time, is an incredible stress reliever. It takes off the pressure and frees us up to, like the disciples, notice Jesus in new places.

    Reading
    ------------
    At Canaan’s Edge – Taylor Branch
    God is Red – Liao Yiwu
    The Guidebook (NRSV Bible)
  • Joan's Easter Surprise

    Joan's Easter Surprise


    For the last four months Joan McKenzie did not have a voice.

    As she arrived for Easter services last Sunday, the always cheerful Joan had to, once again, rely on her husband Jim to talk. We had a brief conversation, and Joan said she had lost her voice only once before, briefly, following illness. This time, there was no explanation, and no end in sight. She told me she was going to see a specialist in 4 weeks, the soonest she could get an appointment.

    Then, a little while later, during our 10 am Easter service, something magical happened.

    Joan's favorite hymn, 'Jesus Christ is Risen Today' was being sung. So Joan thought she would try to mouth the words. As she started to do this, words started coming out of her mouth. She could sing! After the hymn she declared to her husband, 'I have my voice back!'

    Joan can't explain what happened, but is convinced it's God's doing. She told me she believes it's a reminder that God is inside us and wants to come out, and that it's a message to be kind and thoughtful through difficult times because they don't last forever.

    As I ponder this blessing, not only am I inspired to thank God for the gift of healing for Joan, but even moreso for her gift of courage through the adversity she exhibited.

    Joan's example, like that of many saints, is one of faithfulness in what really matters: her relationship with Jesus and the promises He's made to always care for her.

    May Joan's special Easter gift inspire us all to remember that today's troubles are only for today, and that the Risen Christ is with us every step of the way.
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    ADDRESS

    St. David's Episcopal Church, 16200 W. Twelve Mile Road, Southfield, MI 48076 USA

    EMAIL

    chris@stdavidssf.org

    TELEPHONE

    +011 248-557-5430