January 29, 2026
So, a pastor, priest, and rabbi enter a bar…. Well not exactly, but close. Today, three pastors, a priest, and a chaplain entered an eatery, broke bread, prayed, and shared a tableful of heavenly humor. For eighteen months I’ve been missing this, but that drought ended today. Allow me to share.
Since my ordination and first call (to Idaho), I’ve had the privilege of gathering monthly with my ministerial peers. Idaho, Ohio, Nebraska: in all these locales, the Lord provided a community of clergy with whom I could gather for prayer, friendship, and mutual edification. For a ministry worker, a ministerium can be like a lifeline in times of crisis, chaos, and community distress. But for me, being bound in fellowship and brotherly love with others in my profession has become a lifeblood.
But since moving back to Minnesota, that lifeblood has been almost absent, until today. Thanks to my friend Chaplain Noel and the invitation of Father Jeremy, that absence retreated and presence popped in. Today at noon, having met my brothers before, five brothers gathered to build for a time of heavenly fellowship. What a didn’t expect, was a bellyful of laughs and sense of gratitude for the camaraderie that God provided.
Honestly, days like today just make my heart lighter. Psalm 133:1 says,
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!”
!”—and wow, did I feel that. Sitting at that lunch table, swapping stories and laughter, I could feel God knitting us together, the same way Paul urges in 1 Thessalonians 5:11: “Encourage one another and build each other up.”
That’s exactly what happened. I’m so thankful for these brothers God’s put around me—reminding me I don’t have to walk this road solo. Thank you, Lord, for their friendship, their faith, and the holy laughter that fills the room.