About Me

Hello, and thanks for stopping by! My name is James Laurence. I currently live in Wilmington, North Carolina. I am a Lutheran pastor in the ELCA, but after 27 years serving as a parish pastor, I recently began a new chapter in my ministry – serving as a chaplain with Novant Health. I hope to share more about that in the future.

I am blessed to be married to an amazing wife, and to be the father of two incredible children. I grew up in Massachusetts (Northborough), went to college in Maine (Bowdoin), graduate school in Illinois (The University of Chicago), and seminary in South Carolina (Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary). And I’ve lived a few other places along the way, too! I am an avid runner, and when I’m not running, I love to relax with my family, and a good book, of course!

I started this blog to share my sermons, devotions, and other pastoral ponderings with the congregation I previously served, but it has grown to be a place for me to share book reviews, favorite quotes, poems that inspire me, and a little of my own poetry, too.

I have also enjoyed discovering and reading blogs of many others along the way. So, if you blog, I’d love for you to share your blog with me!

Oh, if you are new to my blog, here are a few posts to get you started:

The Journey Begins

What Do I Believe about Prayer?

The Five Pillars of My Prayer Life

My Personal Canon: Sixty Books (Besides the Bible) that Have Shaped My Life and Faith

Learning Self-Care from Jesus

Caring For Our Relationships In Stressful Times

How Poetry Has Deepened My Reading of Scripture

How Writing Poetry Has Deepened My Spiritual Life

What Are Scripture’s Most Compelling Questions?

Befriend the Day