Please note that these are not my panties. Just an example of pretty panties.

This might fall into the category of “too much information,” but I will be wearing my pretty panties tomorrow. They are bright pink with black polka dots, a couple of cute bows, some lace.

Tomorrow morning I will leave home at 6:15 and travel with five other people from my church to our conference headquarters—about 2 and half hours away. The conference leadership body that granted my ordination will review my ministerial credentials. They are required to do this by denominational policy.

They have to review the credentials of any pastor who officiates at a ceremony for a same sex couple. Well, I guess anybody who officiates at such a ceremony and decides to tell them about it.

Many of the people who are reviewing my credentials are people I consider friends. Most of them agree with my theology. But they are in a tenuous political position, and I don’t know what the outcome will be.

The bottom line, though, is that my congregation supports me and will continue to employ me regardless of my ordination status. (I don’t want to start a fight with any other pastors out there, but if there were a church Olympics, my church would win the gold medal for awesomeness.)

I have felt the love and support of many people this week. One of them is a dear college friend and fellow pastor, Katye Fox. One of the last things Katye said during our Facebook chat the other day was something like, “Whatever happens, remember you are also a mama, a wife, a friend, a beloved child of God.”

So while I’m not particularly worried about tomorrow’s meeting, I thought the pretty panties would be a good reminder. A personal reminder, you understand.

I am more than a pastor, and certainly more than my pastoral credentials. There are things the conference leadership can take away and things they can’t take away.

I think the meeting will go well. I trust the people who are part of the leadership body. But even in the unexpected and extreme case that they would strip me of my credentials, I will still be wearing my pretty panties when I walk out that door.