In my life, I’ve seen the pastor/ congregational relationship from many different angles: Growing up as the child of pastor from birth Serving several congregations as a student intern Leading a congregation as both an associate and senior minister Visiting congregations as an ordained pastor without a church In these situations, I’ve heard a lot …
Leadership
Saint Stories: Joe Smith
Today is All Saint’s Day and in worship this morning at The Federated Church, we remembered the saints. Not just those persons who had died in the last year, but any person in our life that helped us grow in faith. At the conclusion of the sermon, each congregation member wrote the name of a …
Find Out Who You Are: Quit Your Job!
In December 2012, I quit my job. I didn’t have another one to go to. And though there were lots of extenuating circumstances that led me to believe that I knew what would be next– at heart I really didn’t have a plan. It was very UNLIKE me. All I knew was that Kevin could …
Why Do I Lead Interfaith Weddings?
This week’s installment of the Preacher on the Plaza began like this: Women sat dressed in their brightest and most colorful attire. Sounds of ancient Indian melodic tunes echoed between the walls. A fragrance of fresh cut rose pedals sweetened the air. I quickly knew this would be no ordinary afternoon, for me. Large portions …
How Do You Know God’s Plans For Your Life?
As I’m getting back in the swing of the more structured pastoral life again, I am beginning to engage in conversations with folks that sound a lot like this: “How do I know God’s will for my life?” or “How can I know what God wants me to do?” When I get asked questions like …
My Bible Verse Trumps Yours
Kevin and I recently returned from a short visit to South Georgia where all of his family lives but us. One of the joys of every visit we make down to Georgia is time that we get to spend with our four young nephews. It’s always fun to spoil them and then get to leave …
What Kind Are You? A Tale of Ecumenism
Two weeks ago, I assisted a youth group for the week packing food boxes at Feed the Children’s volunteer headquarter in Oklahoma City. During the early morning introductions, I told them that I was an ordained pastor. I told them that my husband worked at Feed the Children. I told them that I’d been volunteering with …
Afraid of Change
While recently attending a writing workshop, the presenter offered some advice that hasn’t left me since I first heard it. “If you want to write well, if you want to connect with your audience,” she offered, “You always must tell the truth. There’s nothing that can spoil a good story faster than a character who …
Ash Wednesday Gone Bad
Back by popular demand is a blog post that I wrote in February of 2007 about an experience during my first year as a full-time associate pastor. Please laugh along with me (though it wasn’t funny at the time). By means of background, Ash Wednesday fell on my birthday this year and the senior pastor of …
Speaking to Pain
What do you do when the unspeakable happens to those you love? A month or so ago, a dear seminary friend, Rebekah who had recently lost a baby at 20 weeks shared this list on Facebook as a way to help people know how to care (brave and awesome of her!). It was a handout …
God Bless Our Innocence
Several weeks ago on Facebook, an administrator from the seminary I attended posted several pictures of a group of us back in 2005 and 2006. It was a “Free Church” retreat (or otherwise known as a time for all the Baptists and Pentecostal Women to get together and out of the Methodist bubble of Duke …
Discernment Blows
How many times have you and I heard sermons about “Finding God’s will” or “How do we know what to do with our lives?” And, how many times have these sermons or other churchy conversations resulted in the same answers like “Pray more” or “Find more quiet times?” Or just, “Trust God more. It will …
