A Way Forward

Who I Am

Dear Gentle Seeker, My name is Paul. It is a pleasure to meet you. The conservative church of my origin rejected me for being gay; then, I walked away from organized religion for a decade. Now, I am a Christian and absolutely at peace with who I am and how God created me.

My approach to spiritual direction involves deep listening and reflection and draws upon many Christian spiritual traditions, including Contemplative and Ignation. I trained in the art of spiritual direction at the University of Redlands Graduate School of Theology. Additionally, I have been employed in the airline industry for 42 years and have been a member of my airline’s Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) team for over 10 years. I am also a trained Prepare+Enrich facilitator and an ordained deacon in the Episcopal Church.

An Episcopal Deacon

Which means I affirm that you were created in Divine love and are perfect just as you are—no exceptions.

As a deacon, I concentrate on service, outreach, and social justice. It is said that deacons have one foot in the world and one foot in the church, and my primary foot is in the world. I help guide, direct, and encourage people to live out their Baptismal Covenant by exemplifying ministry beyond the church building and raising awareness of the church’s missional opportunities within the local community.