Someone very dear to me said congregations of faithful people are like a river, constantly moving through the terrain of life. Pastors are called to swim with them for a little while. Recently, my church family invited me to swim along with them for a just a little while. As their associate pastor, I’ve decided to
Poetry
Love Is A Willful Act
Have you ever found it difficult to love someone? Because let’s face it, some people are hard to love. And while we’re being honest, let’s confess that for as many people we find hard to love, we too are unlovable creatures in equal measure. (Yes it’s true, not everybody loves you and that’s ok…deep breaths).
Broken Promises and a Poem Called Grace
I broke a promise despite the advice of mentor whose wise words I take very seriously. She warned, “Never make a promise you can’t keep,” but I did anyway. I promised you, faithful readers, that I would publish my writing at least once a week. I had grand ideas to continue a series of essays on redefining the vocabulary of faith, big plans to
Please
Two days before I scanned the office supplies aisle for a binder to keep track of mounting medical documents, I fell to the floor uttering a prayer of few words. Please help, I prayed. Please. A routine check-up prompted a chest x-ray which yielded abnormal results. My husband called to say he was on his
The Trouble with Blessings
I confess. I have a troubled relationship with blessings. That may be a shocking admission especially coming from a minister, but the truth is that I’m confused about what blessings really mean. When I was living in the South I quickly learned that the familiar “Bless your heart,” means something very different from what my