Is it possible to find beauty in the face of death? Can your heart be full of peace even when you know death is knocking on the door?
Intergenerational Ministry: The Organic Ministry of Small Churches
As a minister of a small congregation, one of the greatest blessings for me is witnessing intergenerational ministry continue to take root in the church in organic ways.
You May Say I'm a Dreamer
Imagine with me for a moment that you walk into a gathering of people you don’t yet know.
The Gospel and the Zombies Attacking Our Schools
All too familiar faces appeared, interviewing familiar experts who provided analysis of an all too familiar event: another school shooting.
The Dog Bit My Nose
Being trauma informed doesn’t excuse someone else’s bad behavior; it invites you to offer a healing presence in order to establish deeper relationship.
Surprised by Women in Worship
Very often people talk about being surprised. There is something about hearing a woman speak a prayer from a place of reverence and faith that feels much more right than wrong.
Whispers
From the pages of Scripture, countless women whisper to us.
(Story Day) Ghosts that Haunt
By the time I went into surgery on July 19th (2007), I had completed my trips to San Antonio, Austin, Malibu, and St. Petersburg, Russia.
Transforming Leadership
When you are deeply invested in something, you begin to own it. For persons in church leadership, the well-being of congregations and the effectiveness of ministries can become personal.
The Fire of Suffering
Can there be love without suffering? Doesn’t love inevitably and always lead us to suffering?
Night of the Living Dead or the Undead in America
Zombies are all the rage these days. They are the dead who will not stay dead, the dead who feed on life, the dead who must be killed again—and again.
Without Vision, Ministry Perishes (Part 3)
If you want to change a system, you have to change something about the way it relates and interacts with the other parts.
Don’t Check Your Wounds at the Door
I think the church could and should offer a different kind of space: a space that welcomes authentic selves, wounds and all.
When You're Standing in the Struggle
Even in the lives of the redeemed, one does not have to look far to find struggle and pain.
Jesus Ironed His Own Clothes
Jesus emptied his entitlement so that he could serve others. I don’t believe that in a million years he ever would expect someone else to iron his clothes.
(Story Day) From Russia with Love
The weekend between classes I went to see the city accompanied by my guide. We walked to the Winter Palace with a slight detour through the Palace Square.
When All Your Elder-Candidates “Just Say No”
If you’ve been through an elder selection process recently, I suspect you heard one word more than any other: “No.”
The Daughter Divine and Proverbs' Woman Wisdom
The Spring 2018 issue of The Priscilla Papers (a journal committed to biblical gender-equity) includes my essay: "Daughter Divine: Proverbs’ Woman of Wisdom."
Now Hear This - Listen to Story Day!
You may now listen to each of the first five episodes of A Fire in My Bones: A Memoir of Life with CRPS as read by the author (me).
What Is Winning?
As pastors and preachers, are we regularly reminding our communities what winning looks like?