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
  • 7 Things to Remember When You’re Not Happy Where You Are

    7 Things to Remember When You’re Not Happy Where You Are



    Few people are unhappy all of the time, but even fewer people are not unhappy some of the time. So next time you’re feeling discontent, try remembering one or more of the following:

    You are not alone. 
    Plenty of other people are not happy where they are right now. Welcome to the club. Chances are, if you choose to share your feelings with others you’ll find yourself in good company.

    Others have it worse.
    Think for a moment about the myriad of people whose life circumstances find them abused, threatened, living in squalor, or in persistent pain.  Be aware that there are many others whose suffering surpasses our own.

    There is a lesson to be learned
    All great art, many great inventions, and nearly every pulse of empathy comes as a gift of unhappiness. Not always and not right away, but don’t let your season of sadness end without learning, creating, discovering, or contemplating something new.

    It is not all bad
    After chemotherapy my friend always buys a milk shake. Trying to pay more attention to the little treats that invariably punctuate times of unhappiness can make the season bearable.

    You’re where God wants you
    Saints through the ages report regular periods of unhappiness and disillusionment. This does not mean they have wandered from God’s will, but that unhappiness is frequently a part of it.

    We are in control
    Since happiness is a choice, perhaps not always, but much of the time, there are definite steps we can take to lessen and even pull ourselves out of our funk.

    Unhappiness is a season not a sentence.

    While it may not feel like it, feelings of unhappiness are transient. You have felt unhappy before and gotten over it, it’s more than likely the same will happen this time. 
  • There is no second string.

    There is no second string.


    If life's a game, there is no second string.

    There is no scout team.
    There are no bench warmers.
    Everyone plays first string.

    We are responsible for knowing our position and for playing it as best we can

    Knowing our position means understanding who we are, what we are to do, and what we are not to do. It's recognizing the boundaries of our skills - and of the position.

    Playing to the best of our ability does not mean comparing ourselves to others. It means getting up everyday, putting on our game face, admitting the seriousness and enormity of what's before us, and rushing headlong into the fray.

    Life has no sidelines.
    Life has no spectators.
    There are no timeouts.
    There are no intermissions.

    Everyone is in the game, everyone plays first string.
  • God Is Not Finished with You Yet

    God Is Not Finished with You Yet


    I once visited a friend in the hospital.

    He was depressed about his prognosis and wondered why the Lord was keeping him alive.
    He asked if we could pray. 
    He then led us in one of the most beautiful prayers I had ever heard, entreating God to assist the poor, suffering, and hopeless, and remembering his family and loved ones with sincerity and hope. 
    I thought, maybe that’s why the Lord was keeping him.

    God was not finished with him yet.

    So often we go through life's sufferings thinking only of the pain. But the Lord wants us to know there is much more at work.
    The pain is not the purpose of our suffering. God does not want to hurt us. But often learning, growing, or the benefit of someone else is what's brewing just under the surface.

    When Nelson Mandela was asked if he regretted the lost time of 20+ years in jail he said not at all, because it made him who was today.

    Friends, every day we find ourselves experiencing some sort of suffering that attempts to bring us down - and to convince us that the pain is the only thing at work.
    But St. Paul says don’t let it have the last word - for suffering produces endurance which produces character which produces the hope we need to trust that God is up to more than we can know or imagine.


    Hang tough, God is not finished with you yet. 
  • Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess

    Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess


    Lord, you know better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from becoming too talkative, and especially from the unfortunate habit of thinking that I must say something on every subject and at every opportunity.
    Release me from the idea that I must straighten out other peoples' affairs. With my immense treasure of experience and wisdom, it seems a pity not to let everybody partake of it. But thou knowest, Lord, that in the end I will need a few friends.
    Keep me from the recital of endless details; give me wings to get to the point.
    Grant me the patience to listen to the complaints of others; help me to endure them with charity. But seal my lips on my own aches and pains -- they increase with the increasing years and my inclination to recount them is also increasing.
    I will not ask you for improved memory, only for a little more humility and less self-assurance when my own memory doesn't agree with that of others. Teach me the glorious lesson that occasionally I may be wrong.
    Keep me reasonably gentle. I do not have the ambition to become a saint -- it is so hard to live with some of them -- but a harsh old person is one of the devil's masterpieces.
    Make me sympathetic without being sentimental, helpful but not bossy. Let me discover merits where I had not expected them, and talents in people whom I had not thought to possess any. And, Lord, give me the grace to tell them so.
    Amen.

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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