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

  • Dear American Vacationer -


    Dear American Vacationer -

    Congratulations are in order for our great nation - on our recent accomplishments regarding our time off: we American workers are simultaneously at the bottom of the Global list for vacation time offered - and we’re at the top of the list for workers who throw those vacation days away.

    Yes, the majority of Americans end the year with unused vacation time. And even when we go on vacation, a large percentage of us work while we’re gone.

    We would think that this would solve our problem - that 40% of us feel overworked. Half of us feel like we have too much work to finish in a typical week. Two-thirds of us report not having enough time with our spouse, and three-quarters of us report not having enough time with our children.

    We can thank grinding corporate policies and a fearful workforce that play no small role in keeping us ‘on’ even when we’re supposed to be ‘off.'

    And so this summer, I won’t ask us to disconnect on vacation - rather I’ll ask us why you don’t.

    Is it the fear someone will take our job? 
    Are we perfectionists whose self-images are too wrapped up in our work?
    Is our ‘busyness’ a societal badge of courage, or a way to hide our vulnerabilities - because to "slow down" means we’ll have time to face who we really are?

    This Sunday Mary will sit at her house guest, Jesus’ feet, and Martha will be distracted by many tasks.
    Jesus will chide Martha and commend Mary.


    We know vacations are good for us - what keeps them from being better? 

  • The Gift of Inconvenience


    What a dark and gray day it was when my friend and his wife learned she had breast cancer.

    My friends have been married for years, have three children, and have always been healthy. So when the diagnosis came, they were blindsided, and simply stunned at what may await them. Sure enough, there was fear, inconvenience, discomfort, as the journey unfolded.

    But thankfully, a combination of good doctors, good medicine, a good support system, and a lot of prayer came together to bring healing.

    This year my friends celebrated 6 years being cancer-free. And they used this anniversary to conclude that the strength and joy they now have in their marriage would simply not be there had they not faced down cancer.

    While no one should ever pray for the kind of suffering my friends went through, we should pray for the grace to see in trials, the blessings that may result.

    This Sunday, we will hear the familiar story of the Good Samaritan, and be reminded of the charity and love of its main character.

    The Samaritan did not have to stop and go out of his way to tend to the needs of a complete stranger. It was inconvenient, unsafe, and unpopular.

    However, when he did, not only was there satisfaction to experience, but he also went down in history as an icon of kindness and compassion.

    Sure, given the choice, we’ll all choose the comfy road. 

    But when we have no choice, taking the difficult road rarely goes without reward. 

  • True Freedom


    I remember the freedom of owning my first car.

    No more borrowing from my parents, sharing a car with siblings, using it only when it fit into their schedules. (see facsimile below)

    No, now I was free to come and go as I please! I could go anytime, anywhere. At last, true freedom!

    That was before I fully understood that I also had a car payment, an insurance payment, gas and repair costs, and the creeping anxiety of knowing that I was now solely responsible for taking care of this car upon which something could break anytime, anywhere. In my search for freedom, I had also found bondage.

    While there is truth to the notion that the more we have the more freedom we will experience, that's not the whole truth. That term, financial freedom is a half truth, and in some ways a lie.

    On this holiday weekend upon which we celebrate the blessings of freedom, Christians acknowledge that true freedom is not earthly, but divine. It doesn't come through things, but through God.

    In Sunday's a gospel Jesus will send his followers out to spread the divine news of freedom. And he will do so by sending his disciples, not by chartered chariot, or by well-equipped caravan, but on foot, with a bare minimum of supplies. 

    And you and I will contemplate the ways we are sent out by God, and the ways we are to emulate their example by traveling light.

    This is about the things we carry, and not necessarily tangible goods. Jesus bids us to travel light by casting upon him our anxieties, our worries, our unforgiveness, our pain - everything that binds us and keep us from being free.

    If we are to preach a gospel of freedom, how are we free? And how are we in the process of being free? What are the things binding us?


    The more we discover God, the more we discover freedom. 

  • 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.


    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


    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


    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.

  • Taking Off the Training Wheels


    Years ago, when my daughter was itty bitty, we decided it was time for her to lose the training wheels and learn to ride a bike.

    I took her down to an empty parking lot and watched her ride, then said, “Okay honey it's time to do it on your own." The very idea frightened her. But after some cajoling she let me remove the training wheels as long as I promised to hold on and stay with her. 

    So there we were, her on her bike, and me holding on to her seat and handlebar, jogging alongside as she rode on two wheels.

    As she got the hang of it, I slowly removed my hands from the bike and let go.

    My daughter declared, “Look Dad! I’m doing it!” I was smiling from ear to ear as I said, “You’re doing great! And don’t worry, I may have let go - but I’m still right here.”

    On the 40th day after Easter, Christians celebrate Ascension Day - the day Jesus took off our training wheels - ascending to the heavens - and leaving his followers to carry on His work.

    The very idea of Jesus letting us go on our own is as scary for us as it was for my daughter. But Christ trusts us to find our balance, choose our direction - and while he may have let go, he’s always here.

    So we ask:
    Where are the training wheels in our lives?
    Are we stretching our minds?
    Challenging our bodies?
    Exercising our souls?


    Ascension Day asks us to consider our maturity - and the ways we are losing the training wheels - and trusting in God’s faith in us to do the work.

  • Puppies and Pizza


    My friend has a new puppy who loves pizza.

    After many failed efforts to keep the dog from bothering family members during the dinner hour, especially when they have pizza, she downloaded a dog obedience class.

    Apparently it's not that hard to keep your dog from stealing pizza, according to this class. And it's not by convincing the dog that pizza is bad, but by having the animal believe that there's something better.

    In this case, it's a crunchy dog treat. Just the sound of the shaking box is enough to keep the puppy calm even when a steaming slice of pizza is waved in front of his nose.

    Apparently dogs have amazing self control.

    And so do we.

    On Sunday we will hear a well-known piece of advice from Jesus, he bids his disciples, 'Do not let your hearts be troubled.'

    Yes, we know that worry and anxiety have deep roots in us, much of which we have no control over as they are residual gifts from our evolved past.

    However, this Bible passage hints at a sense of agency, Jesus tells us not to let this happen.

    And, like my friend's puppy, we do well not to denigrate anxiety, but to set our sights on something better.

    Do looming job cuts keep us up at night?
    How about the medical challenges of a friend?
    The stability of our closest relationship?
    Or the desperate suffering of the hungry, homeless, and abused?

    We are not to let these worries take center stage, but allow God's provision to. Jesus bids us to set our sites on the things above, not on the things below. He promises to take care of what we eat, what we wear, and where we live.

    We have a choice.

    Let us choose wisely. 

  • Where Do Babies Come From?


    “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, 
    and giving life to those in the tomb.'


    One of our oldest Christian hymns talks about Christ conquering death.
    But how are we to understand this?
    What does that mean, if not that conquering death means conquering the things that cause death.

    What causes death?
    Stress! It’s a leading cause of heart attacks and cancer-
    How about unforgiveness, despair, hopelessness, fatigue, worry, boredom, loneliness - these are the things that lead to death.

    And how have they been conquered?
    By offering us an alternative. 
    This is what Jesus did.
    It's by suggesting that the world works best not through these things that cause death, but the things that cause life.

    One of my earliest memories was asking my mom where babies came from.

    My mother said when two people love each other new life comes into the world.
    Now this may not be the most comprehensive explanation of human reproduction, but it does say something really profound about what makes us tick.

    Jesus was the human image of God, that means he was love - walking around on earth - bringing life - by bringing love.
    And when humans killed love, love could not stay dead. 
    Love conquers death.

    What that means is that every single little thing we do in the name of love, sending an encouraging text message, visiting a lonely friend, sending a card or email to someone who needs hope, are ways we spread that news of victory over death. 

    What are other ways we can spread that love?


    May we take our vocations seriously and celebrate the victory. 

  • Are You a Sheep Dog?


    A friend of mine grew up with a collie.

    She got Harry when she was 3 years old and her sister was five. And before long, Harry's vocation as a sheep dog made itself apparent.

    Whether the two little girls were walking down the sidewalk, the path to the lake, or in the mall, they regularly noticed a cold nose at their elbow, gently nudging them towards the center of the path, keeping them away from danger and helping them take the shortest route possible to get where they needed to go. No dawdling or detours allowed, the sheep dog knows his job is to keep everyone on track.

    The 4th Sunday in Easter is typically called Good Shepherd Sunday, it is on this day we contemplate Jesus's role as the Good Shepherd, and our role not only as sheep, but as shepherds - or even sheep dogs who do our Master's bidding.

    This year we view this theme through the lens of Mother’s Day and we contemplate not only the ways our moms have served to keep us on track, nudging us away from danger and keeping us focused, but the ways you and I are called to be sheep dogs to those around us - keeping us all on the right track, pointed us to where we need to go.

    So we ask, in what ways are we pointing our lives in the right direction? 
    What are the sheep dogs around us saying? 

    And how are we helping herd those in our care toward the things that matter? 

  • Follow Me


    When Jesus said ‘Follow me’ it was both a challenge and an invitation - to follow his example…


    Follow Jesus' example of healing others:

    Be aware and on the lookout for those around us who are hurting - who around us in pain?

    Use our words and actions to make things better - how can we bring healing, peace, reconciliation to a situation?

    Be the first to take action - whether it’s to say we’re sorry, take the blame, or put the situation back together.


    Follow Jesus' example of sticking up for justice:

    Call out injustice when you see it

    Empower the less and the least

    Befriend the vulnerable and poor


    Follow Jesus' example of faithful living:

    Pray often and sincerely

    Give alms and attention to all who need it

    Don’t acquire more than we need


    Follow Jesus' example of faithful suffering:

    Don’t try to get out of the difficult but necessary work

    Don’t complain about it

    Don’t brag about it.


    Follow Jesus' example of trust:

    Trust that God will care  - God will see us to the mountaintop or care for us in the valley

    Trust that God will provide - it may not be what we want but it’s what we need

    Trust that God will guide - we may not see it, but God’s hand never leaves us

    When you think about Jesus’ invitation to follow me - what comes to your 

    mind? 

    • 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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