I spent two years teaching high school religion in an urban school. People used to ask me if it made me feel like the teachers in the typical inspirational-inner-city school movies. Not really. Those amazing teachers had too much energy. I was mostly exhausted. By the end of two years, I knew I was called [...]
Just this afternoon, it hit me that we completely missed the Ascension at church. (I take full responsibility: I was the preacher on Sunday and I went with John 17. But, hey, it was confirmation Sunday and we had a lot to fit in.) To make up for that, read Mary’s post about her deeply [...]
Here’s some exciting news: There is interest in the church-at-large about young, female clergy. A few months ago, I joined a fledgling on-line discussion with a group of clergy-women under 35. Then, exciting things started to happen (we have a fairy godmother of sorts who was interested in us, got other people interested in us, [...]
Protestant female-ministers don’t go in so much for the whole “bride of Christ” language that comes up more often among Catholic nuns. But this weekend, I was pretty much married to the church. (My husband and daughter got to tag along when they could make it.) On Friday, I wrote a sermon in record time. [...]
John 17:20-26 May 20, 2007 (Confirmation Service) Fox Valley Presbyterian Church A few weeks ago, I decided to venture into the world of Facebook. Facebook is a social networking website. You type in your profile, and look around to find profiles of other people who you already know. I found my siblings, college and seminary [...]
See here for more explanation about this one. 1. What? Whatever, as long as I can bring my knitting. 2. When? Summer’s easier for the youth/children’s pastor types. July or August. Not September or May. And we all know what December is like 3. Where? If it’s summer, I’d like some water nearby. Also, I [...]
This is a great post about how to engage your kids during worship. (And, no, even though I’m writing a sermon now, the title of this post is not an indication of how I think it’s going.)
My old denomination is currently in the middle of the “transition” from children not partaking of the Lord’s Supper to welcoming them at the Table. In the PC(USA), children have been welcomed at the discretion of their parents for a good while now. But, I’m discovering that many parents aren’t sure what they “need” to [...]
Charles Honey is one of the few reporters on religion who I think consistently gets it. (And he’d better: since he’s at the Grand Rapids Press, he’s got some heavy-duty religious critics in the area.) He always seems to do his research and take the time to figure out what’s actually going on. And here’s [...]
Well, the readers have spoken. My Mother’s Day rant it is. First, before anyone gets offended, I am exceedingly grateful to my own Mom, my fabulous grandmothers, my aunts, my great-grandma (who I had the privilege of knowing until junior high), my mother-in-law, and all sorts of other women in my life. Often, I forget [...]