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
  • One Step at a Time

    One Step at a Time


    My friend is an E.R. doctor.

    Every day he faces a litany of urgent cases in which life hangs in the balance.

    While he’s known for his skill in triage and the breadth of his medical knowledge, what his colleagues most admire is his ability to stay calm in the midst of the pressures and complexities of his everyday work.

    He’s become known for one statement, ‘One step at a time.’ When asked to predict what course a disease will take, how far a cancer will spread, when a medication will kick in, or how long it will take a patient to regain consciousness, he simply says, ‘One step at a time.’

    Living in the moment is not an option for my friend, it is a necessity – and it should be for you and me.

    Just look at the tyranny of the immediate that surrounds us. From financial, career, and health concerns to worry about our national elections, we are tempted to fall prey to the threats of a future we cannot predict, and in some ways, do little about.

    One step at a time.

    Let’s not worry about things we cannot predict.
    Let’s not spend our precious hours in anxiety over a future we do not know.
    Let’s not waste our precious time in apprehension of unknowable circumstances.

    This Sunday we will hear Jesus talk about faith.

    He will chide his disciples – which include you and me – to believe.

    To believe that everything will work out, that the world is in God’s hands, that nothing happens to us outside of God’s view, and that nothing happens by accident.

    For we can never forget that we are a fragile people who live precarious lives, utterly dependent upon God’s daily mercies to shield us from the unknown.

    And we are called to believe that we are always in God’s hands. So let us encourage one another to have faith and believe, one step at a time.
  • Don't Waste Your Tragedy

    Don't Waste Your Tragedy


    My friend is waiting for his brother to die.

    He’s at the hospital right now keeping vigil. He’s among family and friends as they seek to face the challenge of keeping calm and focused in the face of uncertainty.

    This vigil will end with a death, a loss, and deep grief. Family members will be irreparably scarred. Life for everyone involved will permanently change. My friend says losing his brother will be like losing a limb.

    However, in the face of such tragedy we cannot forget the coarse but bitter truth; that the upside to having your face ripped off is that at least you get to see what you look like.

    Yes, there are ways in which we become aware in life. Some do so when they get a promotion, buy a new home, or fully fund their 401k.

    But most of us reach a deeper sense of awareness when we go bankrupt, get divorced, lose a child, break a leg, smash the car, or fail the test.

    This is not to say God makes these things happen, it is to say that our deepest tragedies offer us unparalleled opportunities to become self-aware and, often, better people.

    Sunday’s gospel brings us the familiar story about a rich man and a poor man named Lazarus. It isn’t until the rich man loses everything and sits in torment that he realizes the depth of his selfishness and harbors a real desire to help others.

    What are the sadnesses and failures of our lives teaching us? How are our collapses and catastrophes serving to point us to greater awareness? What are our tragedies teaching us?
  • The Primacy of Relationships

    The Primacy of Relationships


    Little babies in cribs cherish the presence of loved ones the most.

    Retirees in rest homes cherish the presence of loved ones the most.

    What happens in between is the ongoing temptation to substitute things for what we know we should cherish the most.

    And we do this all the time.


    How are we doing it now? To what degree do we realize that putting relationships first is what we’re made to do and in the end, what we value the most?
  • Lost and Found

    Lost and Found


    I was leaving Cincinnati the other day and stopped to get a milk shake.

    The only problem was that I couldn’t remember exactly where the ice cream store was. After 20 minutes of driving around I finally found it. Once inside I remembered how, a few years previous, I had driven around for 20 minutes trying to find the exact same ice cream store. I was lost, but had been found. Twice.

    Sunday’s gospel reminds us of how much God rejoices when the lost are found. We think of the ways we get lost. We think of the ways communities get lost, and how even nations get lost.

    And we think of Jesus’ job, and our job, which is to help the lost find their way.

    Teachers, nurses, accountants, realtors, mechanics – nearly every profession involves some version of this. No matter who we are and what we do, we can help the lost.

    My problem is that I am often so overwhelmed with finding my own way that I don’t pay as much attention to helping others as I should. This a perennial problem in our increasingly busy and independence-minded culture.

    But that need not stop us from asking: how can we help ‘the lost’ – with math homework, relationship advice, or directions to Cleveland? In what ways has God uniquely equipped us to help ‘the lost?’

    When we think about it we soon discover that not only are the lost all around us, but that have a lot to bring to the table. Also in doing so not only are we usually made glad, but according to the scriptures so is heaven.
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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