NOTE: The blogger recently moved to San Jose Succotz Village in far western Belize to do some serious writing of books and articles, Spanish language immersion, Belizean life and culture immersion, eventually some ministry, as well as undoubtedly some cave diving, hiking, beach bumming and hanging out at Mayan ruins across the Mopan River from where he is taking up residence for the next year and a half.
So stay tuned . . .
– July 2, 2012
THE BLAWGER, TRAMPING AROUND SOMEWHERE IN BEIJING, CHINA, SEPTEMBER 2010
Thanks for showing up at Jitterbuggingforjesus.com, the blog that strives to prove wrong the great journalist and essayist H.L. Mencken, he who defined Christianity as “the mortal fear that somebody somewhere might be having a good time.”
Me, I’m having pretty much a good-time life.
Read on . . .
Our blog’s motto pretty much says it all:
“Jitterbuggingforjesus.com is the blog that is saving the world with its wit, wisdom, provocations and stimulations while possibly (probably!) alienating whole towns, nations, cities and states.”
The blogger here is sometimes the Rev. Paul McKay, and sometimes his crazy alter ego the Jitterbugger, even though it’s hard to know which one is altogether crazier.
The Rev. Paul grew up in Navasota, Texas, home of the fighting Navasota Rattlers and a great place to grow up.
Journalism degree from University of North Texas, unofficial degree in partying. (Hey, it was the sixties, man.)
Paid my dues as editor of a village weekly in East Texas followed by nine years of doing just about everything a journalist can do in nine years at the Bryan-College Station Eagle in Bryan, Texas. Reporter, columnist, editor, features editor, opinions page editor, book and music critic–you name it, at one time or another I did it. All for roughly $2 per hour considering the days and hours worked. Before taxes.
Advanced to The Houston Chronicle where I spent 14 very intense and grueling but rewarding and often fun years as a working slug reporter. Wallpapered my office with journalism awards but got tired of being the objective, detached reporter sitting on the sidelines and observing and reporting about people in misery and started wondering where God was in all the messiness and chaos, inhumanity and suffering in this world.
God did a cruel trick on me and called me to ministry, although it took me a number of years to give in. Once I did, I and my then-wife moved to the Dallas area in 2000 to attend one of the world’s best seminaries, Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University (SMU).
Received my Master of Divinity in 2004. Always felt God was calling me to pastoral care and that’s why I serve full-time in ministry as a chaplain at a Dallas hospital and not as a pulpit preacher in a church. Ministers all have their unique, God-given gifts and graces and mine are suited to being in the messy places of the world doing ministry, like the Emergency Room and ICU at the hospital where I serve.
And believe me, ERs can be plenty messy. The good thing is, my life experience as a reporter taught me how to keep my head when others are losing theirs in chaos.
Being as I am a cradle Methodist–and love the Methodist/Wesleyan theology and tradition–it was a long journey to my ordination on June 8, 2009, at Custer Road United Methodist Church in Plano, Tx. (The road to ordination in the United Methodist Church is a long and grueling one, but one that molds very competent and confident ministers.)
For more than four years I’ve been serving as a chaplain at a Dallas hospital. I did two years serving as a hospice chaplain prior to this hospital post. And I prepared for chaplaincy with two years of pastoral care training at Methodist Hospital in Dallas.
I’m called and committed to serving Christ Jesus, and Jesus wasn’t some swami who sat in a cave teaching seminars on love for a thousand bucks a pop. Jesus was out in the world, amidst the noisy, dirty, clawing, chaotic and often violent crowds. God’s grace is at work everywhere, in hospitals and war zones, in the quietude of churches and in businesses and workplaces–anywhere where humans are interacting, God’s grace is there. It’s just not always apparent. It’s not apparent very much of the time really.
But God’s grace is indeed at work anywhere and everywhere, all the time, in this messy, violent, broken world.
I see this blog as an extension of my call to ministry, as a way to reach the churched and the unchurched, believers and non-believers, sinners and saints with the message that God loves us all anyway–that’s the very definition of grace, that God loves us in spite of the unique ways we find to harm ourselves and others. I also blog because I’m playful by nature need the therapy of a blog to let my alter ego (the Jitterbugger) out to play.
You’re welcome to leave comments on the blog postings — just fill in the reply at the end of a posting, or if you want to contact me in private, and lots of people do, you can contact me at:
revpaulmckay@gmail.com.
BTW, we call this jitterbuggingforjesus.com because as Paul the Apostle wrote in Galations 5, “The fruit of the spirit is love, jitterbugging, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control.”
You could look it up.
Grace & peace
Paul
Pablo,
I love your image and the name of your blog! Of course, your musings are SO You!
I’m just checking our facebook myself; maybe I’ll send you an icon!
Shalom,
Paul, this is great stuff! Little Navasota produced some really great people and you are definitely one of them. I am reading all your blogs as fast as I can – keep them coming.
Well, Alright!
thanks for your generosity paul. i’ll keep reading when i get back home and Con’s going to love this too. The alleged God who still doesn’t exist and never will gave you talent in spades!
Paul,
Saw Bill Fenton at PPUMC yesterday. Had not seen him in months. He brought me up to date on you and your wanderings. Was sorry to hear about you and Margo. Have read some of your writings. interesting to say the least.
Life is good today, we only take it one day at time.
yours in Christ…
Jeff
very nice blog.
Elsa
God bless you and your ministry. I wish you had been there to guide me through my mother’s and my Alzheimer’s ordeal.
hey there rev paul,
thanks for sharing your wonderful writings!
you keep people inspired!
Victoria
Paul, During the early 90s I was editor of that little village weekly that you mentioned. I spent some of my spare time looking at old newspaper copies which included some of your columns. I remember they were hilarious and seeing that you made it down U.S. 59 to the Chronicle gave me some hope that one day I would no longer have to endure lamb shows and the latest happenings at the nursing home. I left there and worked for three other dailies, the last being in Waco. I have been freelancing some for the past few years including for a metro paper in your area. So thanks for giving me hope during those times of putting my paper to bed at 6 a.m. on a Wednesday after writing countless bogus headlines on a Headliner. I’m glad to see you found something rewarding on more than one front. — Richard L. Smith
You’re such a blessing in the lives of so many people in so many places, Paul. We’ve decided if you don’t come up for “some jazz and conversation from the foot of Mount Belzoni” we’re coming down to get you!!! (((New Year’s maybe? Big wingding this year! Details to come!))))
Blessings from the Steely Dan Underground Night Owls!
feeling the love from you in Dan Land and thanks so much, guys and gals. New Year’s in New York sounds kinda tempting. Give my regards to Lester the Nightfly and to Donald Fagen if you happen upon him.
Blessings and sweet music,
paul
I have worked behind a desk for 15 years and going into nursing I felt was a calling as well. I think its wonderful that you minister to people in the ER and ICU. That song ” I can only imagine”. still comes to mind. I feel its my calling to work with hospice to help with the passing over into the kingdom. I was with my mother reading Romans holding her hand as she took her last breath. Humbling yourself will change you and you begin to realize and appreciatte everything your mother taught you about foundation and the bible: faith, hope and love and the greatest of all of these is love. Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers and to my mother whos the BEST OF THE BEST!!!
PJ Easley
Well we never now what the day is going to bring….or what blessing God will bestow of Hope…and enlightenment….your ministry will surmount the ill fate of our world today…there is nothing more powerful than…. LOVE…with the Grace of God’s present, (a gift) now, anywhere, everywhere, and every moment. This world as it is very Blessed because Paul, you are our gift………and I say thank you God
Wow, thanks, Paula, and to all for the comments here.
Paul
“3rd World poor folk”? That’s an awful way to describe the people of Belize, it’s condescending and offensive. I expect better language from a former journalist, and better feelings from a religious person.
I actually agree with you and appreciate you calling me out on it and I am editing it out, John. I try not to blog or write anything “on the fly” and in this case I did–just banged that out without thinking and trying to be colorful or clever or whatever I was doing in the moment. If I had read it on someone else’s blog I would have recognized it as condescending myself. Thanks for the feedback.
No problem, I have the same trouble myself, fortunately I have many friends who read my stuff and tell me if I’ve crossed any lines.
Good luck with your work, enjoy Belize!
Best wishes,
John.
PS I like the Savage Chickens cartoon!
Wow! Delighted to find your blog! Thank you … your insight and outlook are refreshing, indeed! God bless you …. thanks so much!
‘lyn