Holy Week tends to be pretty hard on pastors–or at least on me. There is, of course, the practical aspect of organizing and leading extra worship services. (Between today and next Sunday there are seven worship services in which I have a significant part.) More worship services means more sermons to write, more music to…
On March 24, 1980, Salvadoran Catholic priest Oscar Romero was shot and killed while celebrating mass. Following Jesus had led Romero to speak out against the abuses of the Salvadoran elite and to work for the rights of the people of El Salvador. These prophetic words and actions led many powerful people to perceive him…
The congregation I serve has a Ministry Team. The four members and I meet once a month to pray for people connected with the church and to discuss any needs people have that the church might be able to meet. Everyone who is actively part of the congregation is assigned to one of the Team…
The “Friday Five” over at Rev. Gal Blog Pals today is to share the top 5 perks/gifts of ministry. “Perks” and “gifts” seem like quite distinct categories. The “perks” would be my flexible schedule, my travel and continuing ed allowance, my housing tax break, the ability to do a lot of my work from home,…
My sermon text this past Sunday was the gospel reading from the Lectionary: Matthew 5:1-12, a.k.a. The Beatitudes. As I read and studied this passage last week, Jesus’ familiar words struck me in a new way. Where previously I had read judgement for all of the ways I fall short–of poverty of spirit, of meekness,…
Yesterday was a snow day, and a couple of the church kids came over to play. During a conversation with the six-year-old, he told me about one of his parents’ friends who was “really old–probably fifty.” So I said, “My birthday is tomorrow. How old do you think I will be?” He tilted his head…
I feel that my meeting with the Leadership Commission went well on Friday. I was able to be heard and to listen. Each person from my congregation had a chance to speak as well. The commission began its discernment on Friday and will continue discussing my situation at their next meeting in February. I am…
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…
In response to several high profile cases of suicide by teenagers who were—or were perceived to be—gay, advice columnist Dan Savage posted a video on YouTube that he made with his husband. They wanted gay teens to know that It Gets Better. Within a month, over 800 videos were posted by a wide range of…
Awhile back I heard a piece on NPR about the Harry Potter Alliance. It’s a group of fans who come together around various philanthropic and social justice issues. They sent five cargo planes full of supplies to Haiti after the earthquake. They’ve campaigned on behalf of marriage equality and genocide prevention. They’ve stocked libraries in…
Spacious Faith 