Chris Yaw

I am a Christ Lover

ABOUT ME

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

How Can I Help?

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.

Disarmory Ministries

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

Blog

  • Try Out This Lens

    Try Out This Lens

     

    As you move through the holidays, are you approaching life as a rough road that needs to be fixed, or a colorful adventure that needs to be discovered?

    Here's what I mean  if I think that everything is broken, imagine the frustration and anger when there is no fix in sight - like that relationship that I really wanted to work, but went hopelessly South?

    Do I beat myself up, watching the game tapes over and over and wishing I'd made different decisions?

    Or do I look at that relationship for what it is, not giving up on ever improving it, but observing through the primary lens of acceptance?
    What has that taught me? Do broken relationships have anything at all to offer? Do the broken things around me have anything to teach, inspire, or encourage me?

    This works with sickness, job looks, most all of life's downers.

    And this unpacks a whole new world where life doesn't happen to me, but for me, and God will form me through the good, the bad, and the ugly.

    So as you head out into those scenes and scenarios that are unique to holidays, try out this lens: approach life with acceptance and curiosity and see what God has in store.

  • Homeless Jesus

    Homeless Jesus

     

    What's the image that comes to mind when I say the words 'Homeless person?'

    Probably not great -

    But to make sense of Jesus is to make sense of him as a homeless person.
    He was born in a borrowed stable - homeless.
    He fled violence to live as a refugee in Egypt - homeless.
    He described his day to day life as the Son of Man 'having nowhere to lay his head' - homeless
    And he died rejected, betrayed, and buried inside a borrowed tomb - homeless.

    This is not to say Jesus was an addict, mentally unstable, or even without access to wealth and other resources that might come to mind when we think of contemporary homelessness.

    It is to say that Jesus was not overly interested in those things - he did not find his home in wealth, security, or popularity, rather he found his grounding in his unshakable faith in the power of love.

    God is love after all, and to put your faith in the possibility that recognizing, cultivating, and expressing love, as the ground of your being, will ultimately take care of you, seems to be a notion Jesus put a lot of stock in.

    As Christmas Day approaches, and we look upon that little baby born in a manger, let us be mindful of Jesus's style of homelessness, that was not about preventing it by building palaces, reputations, or savings accounts, but about embracing it by an absolutely obsessing over love - recognizing it, cultivating it - marinating in it.

    And let us see the wisdom in that: is your 2026 list of goals all about buying this and achieving that - instead of being that person or that person - being kind, being selfless, and being loving - which is where Jesus' goals were.

    And let us see the wisdom in that, put acquisition in its place, and embrace and cultivate, instead, the ground of our being, and the center of our souls, which is to love.

  • The Wave Is Not the Sea

    The Wave Is Not the Sea



    If you have any doubt that what you're doing with your life is of little consequence - that you're just spinning your wheels, that no one's paying attention - then please consider John the Baptist.

    The Gospel of Luke tells us that John was Jesus' cousin - and that they knew each other even before they were born - the story says John 'jumped in the womb' of his mother, Elizabeth, upon meeting the pregnant Mary.

    Then, when Jesus comes of age - it's John who states, quite clearly, that he is the one to announce his appearance, saying in Matthew: "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry"

    Then it's John who's going to baptize Jesus in the River Jordan - and when Jesus comes up out of the water, John was right there to hear the voice from heaven, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased"

    Then the bottom falls out.

    Fast forward a few years - John's now in prison for accusing King Herod of adultery. And discouragement, disillusionment, and doubt have crept in. So much so, that John no longer believes. He sends his disciples to Jesus to ask! And Jesus gives an indirect answer, and the next thing we know, Herod has John executed.

    So John's epic life - as a relative of Jesus - as a prophet who announce his call - as the priest at Jesus' baptism - becomes forgotten at the end - as John takes his sadness and apprehension to the executioner's block.

    But just because John didn't feel used by God - does not mean he wasn't.

    When people name churches after famous disciples, what name, do you suspect, is used most often? Yeah, John.

    His faithfulness, his perseverance, his humility, his devotion have earned him a place in Christian history like no other!

    And guess what?

    John died without ever knowing that.

    Being faithful to God - to your values - to your convictions - to your conscience - to your heart - doesn't always come with an immediate reward!

    Don't think that just because you don't feel used, you aren't.

    You have no idea how many people have met you, talked with you, seen from afar, and have found their lives positively affected.

    Writer Mark Nepo says "The wave is not the sea."

    This means that whatever doubt and discouragement you're going through - put it into perspective - it's a wave, not the sea!

    When John looks back at the long arc of his life there's little doubt that he did a lot of good for a lot of people - that God used him in mighty ways - and that's probably the same for you and me.

    Don't mistake the wave for the sea.

  • Lighting the Fire of Compassion

    Lighting the Fire of Compassion

     



    25,000 Russians were killed in Ukraine last month, 369,000 children will die from preventable diseases this year in Sudan, now more than 50% of the children who live in Detroit are living under the poverty line!

    Does this upset you? Or is there some other injustice that's got you wound up or ticked off?

    Because it's stuffering like this, that we may be paying attention to or not, that fueled the fervor of this guy called John the Baptist, and lit a fire underneath all the people who lived near him to come out and wake up.

    John had a way of awakening compassion that is such an integral part of you and me.

    The fervor, and radical nature of his message shows us how important it is for us to live into who we really are, so that we can live our best lives - and so our violent, suffering, broken world can find relief.

    Advent is about opening our eyes to the distractions and detours that keep us from being the caring and loving people we are -

    So let's wake up to compassion, and wake up to your destiny of care, compassion, and love For ourselves and for others.

    • SAY HELLO TO ME

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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

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