With Father's Day approaching, I thought I'd share this from an old blog: They entered the restaurant exhilarated: an old man carrying a small boy, probably a grandchild. The man's hand cradled the back of the child's head, holding it close to his own. I wondered if this was the first time these two had … Continue reading The Brotherhood of Fatherhood
Author: David Mercer
David Mercer is the author of the blogs: Deep Calls, Quick Drawls, and A Touch of Mercy. He has been a pastor, college professor, salesperson for children's clothing, substitute teacher, deli worker, and grocery store cashier. He is now a massage therapist at Mercer Massage,LLC.
Batman’s Adam West Dies
When I was little, I took him seriously as a hero.
From Believing to Seeing
I quit believing and started seeing.
I Love the Trees
In Idabel, I loved walking among the trees near my home. Tall pines felt like older siblings watching over me as I walked on a carpet of needles and cones. At the right time of year, pecan trees left a snack on the ground for me to munch. Others offered full leaves to shade me … Continue reading I Love the Trees
I Was Lonely
In my journals which I've written all my adult life, one of the things I said repeatedly since the beginning that that I was lonely. If I was once your minister, please don’t feel guilty. You didn’t know and you didn’t cause this. I’m telling it now because I hurt people when I left the … Continue reading I Was Lonely
Is This What an Empath Is?
I don’t have mystical or psychic abilities but I possess qualities that would identify me as an empath. At church, when I greeted people, I surveyed their faces. Was there sadness or fatigue in the eyes? Were there worried lines behind the smiles? Or were they masking everything over? When I shook their hands, I … Continue reading Is This What an Empath Is?
ER Visit and a Wedding
I stopped just after I entered through the door. The emergency room was bustling with nurses and patients. I turned around to leave but then I stopped again. I was still standing in the entrance when the attendant at the counter noticed me. “May I help you?” she asked. “I… don’t know if I really … Continue reading ER Visit and a Wedding
Just a Gringo from Texas
“Don’t take this the wrong way, man,” the middle school student said, “but you talk Spanish like a Gringo.” “That’s okay,” I said. “I talk English like a Texan… y’all.” In Orlando, we have many cultures living next to each other. People from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, France, England, Vietnam, Korea, China…. And then … Continue reading Just a Gringo from Texas
I Was Tired
“I don’t think any of us knew how tired you were,” my friend said after I moved away. I didn't realize at first how right he was. When I arrived in Orlando, I thought I’d find a job right away, but in fact I stayed inside with the lights off and couldn’t move for days which … Continue reading I Was Tired
My Last Church Was Wonderful
I had to leave because I was exhausted and because my beliefs changed. But I didn’t leave because people were mean to me. Idabel FUMC, photo by David Mercer At some point, I want to discuss the unhealthy dynamics of religious culture, but first I want to speak of the last church I served … Continue reading My Last Church Was Wonderful
Deep Calls 