I realize how behind I am to be writing about my word for 2017 in April. It’s not even that it’s taken me this long to decide on my word. I had it picked up by New Year’s Eve. I think my struggle has more so been in knowing how much this word truly fits, and wishing it didn’t. My… Read more →
Just in time for Lent, I thought I’d share my favorite children’s Bibles and a few storybooks. It’s been a process finding ones I like, so I thought I’d let you benefit from all the good recommendations I’d received, so here are my suggestions. Did I miss any of your favorites? The Jesus Storybook Bible This Bible has great… Read more →
Or everything I wish adults knew I teach to children One incredibly hard day at the children’s hospital when I was a chaplain intern, I was with a family who had just lost two children. The remaining child would start to cry and his father would tell him that superheroes didn’t cry. They were a Christian family so in a… Read more →
Last year I set the goal for myself that I would read 50 books in 2016, and while I only made it to 38, I enjoyed keeping track of what I read and having a goal to work toward. This year I’ve decided to be a little less ambitious and am hoping for 45 books, but am off to a… Read more →
Some days it is hard to hope. I say “Come Lord Jesus” in our Advent prayers as a desperate cry, not a uniform response. I need Advent right now, not the Christmas season. I am not ready. I am waiting. Some days I wait in anger. Anger at the way life is treated… when children are put in dangerous situations,… Read more →
This last week has been a hard one in ministry. It’s hard because I know good people who have voted in very different ways. And I know good people who are frightened – frightened for their rights, for their home, for their safety, for their acceptance in the place they call home. Organizations that track hate crimes say that the… Read more →
In my newsfeed recently I have seen articles on both sides about Trump’s comments to Billy Bush on the Access Hollywood bus. Some have been brave and well spoken, and others, well they’ve suggested that that’s just how men talk when women aren’t around and how it’s not a big deal. It’s just locker room talk. Men will be men. I… Read more →
I had a recoup day yesterday after what felt like a crazy but wonderful week. We had gotten stuck on a trip to Kentucky and stayed there an extra day and then spent the weekend getting ready for a wedding shower/party for great friends, all of which were good things, but I got to the end of the weekend and… Read more →
My husband recently finished a summer unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) which is a group of pastors and chaplains with a supervisor coming together to learn about pastoral care, write verbatims, and work through issues of their family of origin, conflict resolution styles, emotional processing, etc. Generally working through their own ‘Stuff’ so as not to get in… Read more →
I’m a pastor’s kid, a pastor’s spouse, and a pastor, and I’m here to tell you that the church will break your heart. I came into seminary a little disillusioned, swearing that I would never be a pastor. I told them that I was a PK and that I had seen it all — the good, the bad, and the… Read more →