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 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
  • Jesus Didn’t Have a White Board

    Jesus Didn’t Have a White Board



    Jesus didn’t have a white board.

    He didn’t have a smart phone.

    He didn’t carry a calendar.

    At New Year’s, our pinnacle time of resolutions, new leafs, goal-setting, and high-hoping we can’t help but be reminded that Jesus was never described as one for whom planning was a huge priority. Jesus wasn’t known as a plotter. He wasn’t a schemer nor did he seem to hold marathon strategy sessions.  In fact, the most extended time of preparation we find him engaging in was in the Garden of Gethsemane when he pulled an all-nighter… praying.

    For Jesus, to plan was to pray.

    It was to put aside his program in order to ask and accept God’s program.

    Most of the people I know spend more time planning than praying.  Maybe it’s our insecurity – our need to feel more in control. Maybe it’s laziness Maybe it’s because we might be scared of what we’ll hear.

    This New Year’s I’m hoping to take time to pray. I hope to lay my calendar before God’s feet and ask him to fill it in.


    What would more praying and less planning look like for you?
  • Messages from Angels

    Messages from Angels


    If an angel appeared with a message from God just for you - what might it be? Here are some possibilities:

    Dream bigger.
    Push limits.
    Press on.
    Let go.
    Relax.
    It’s going to be alright.
    Forgive yourself.
    Don’t demand perfection.
    Dance with your fear.
    Think about the poor.
    Obsess over others.
    Ask yourself how well you’re living.

    Don’t wait for an angel to hear from God. Listen to your heart. God’s got a message there.

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    Reading
    Pistis Sophia - GRS Mead
    Mark - Morna Hooker
    Sermons - Peter Gomes
  • Out of the Wilderness

    Out of the Wilderness


    When the dictionary defines wilderness as an, ‘inhospitable, uncivilized, and uncultivated region’ I can’t help but think about life in the 21st century. Inhospitable in the way we routinely lock doors and view strangers with suspicion. Uncivilized regarding the ways capital punishment, genocide, aggression, and violence are condoned. And uncultivated in the way all ranks of immaturity in entertainment, economics, and morality are promulgated.

    So when John the Baptist declares his identity as, ‘the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,’ I can relate – I’m crying out in this wilderness too. 

    And my cry is like yours - we long for a world that’s more hospitable, civil, and that lovingly cultivates the gifts that surround us. We sorely desire a safer, more welcoming, more peaceful world that celebrates the diversity of our gifts and supports the creativity with which we’ve been blessed.


    Call us out of that wilderness, O Lord. Take us to that place of hospitality, civility, and maturity. Help us figure out what’s gotten between your voice and our ear. Re-instill a holy longing. Stir up our Spirits. And don’t just call us out of the wilderness help us transform it, so that everyone else who’s stuck in here with us might see what you’re really up to.
  • How to Get Rich

    How to Get Rich


    The road to riches begins when we want something we don’t have. If we stay focused and work hard we find we get it. But sooner or later our happiness wanes because we quickly become accustomed to what we’ve just acquired. Eventually we become bored so we seek something new to get or to do. Once more, we stay focused and work hard, and find it’s ours. Soon after, the boredom returns and the quest is renewed.

    We do this again and again.


    Making matters worse, we can find it harder to slow down and enjoy what we have because we’ve become too busy running after the next thing even though we will admit that we have more possessions and experiences than a lifetime of savoring can do justice to. This is how wealth becomes poverty. And yes, everybody does it.

    The way to get rich and stay rich, then, is not about endless acquisition but regular savoring. Taking delight in the things we have, counting our blessings, appreciating, and taking real pleasure in the good fortune we’ve enjoyed – that’s where true wealth is found.

    Which brings us to Advent.

    This is the season that invites us to do this - to regular contemplation of the beauty and wealth that surrounds us. So take a moment. Breathe deep. Think of one thing in your life that absolutely delights you – not something you want, but something you already have. Sooner or later we discover how rich we already are.
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    Reading
    The One Thing – Gary Keller
    Alexander Hamilton – Ron Chernow
    Mark – Morna Hooker
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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