Every three years, I have to go to sexual misconduct/boundaries training. It is required for all clergy in my conference of the United Methodist Church. We hold a lot of power in our role over the lives of parishioners and breaking that sacred trust by misusing that power to exploit someone else is absolutely unacceptable.…
Nuts and Bolts
Text: 1 Corinthians 16:15-21 The first thing I want to say is a thank you to Maggie who read our scripture this morning. She had a really boring passage of scripture with a lot of hard names that we almost NEVER read. And she did an awesome job. You know, we almost never read the…
Day by Day
Text: Acts 2:42-47 Friday night is game night at my house. For years it has been an event where friends and family gather, surrounded by food and laughter and love. Everyone brings something to the table… even if it is just a story or a giggle or themselves. One of the things that usually happens,…
Laboring for God
Well, friends, we made it. We made it to the final stop on our Summer Road Trip through the national parks and monuments. And today, we actually aren’t too far from home in St. Louis, Missouri at the Gateway Arch National Park. Today on Labor Day Sunday, I chose this location because Gateway Arch National…
Growing up white… and not knowing it.
Over the past few months, I’ve been exploring together with small groups of clergy, friends, and members of my church the persistence of racism and the underpinnings of white supremacy in our culture. I’m realizing that it is so prevalent we can’t even recognize it most days. It is like the air we breathe. We…
An Interview on Improvising Ministry
Transcript from last Sunday’s Conversation in Worship Text: 1 Chronicles 15:25-16:3 Katie: Well good morning to all of you! I have some special guests with me here today. They are familiar faces because they have been with you these past two weeks while I have been on vacation. Pastor Paul and Pastor Beth, both from…
Partially Rendered Heroes
Text: John 13: 12-17 Today, with the images of four of our nation’s greatest presidents before us, we turn in the gospels to a story of a biblical model of leadership. Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, gets down on his hands and knees and washes the feet of his disciples. As…
Aloha!
Text: Isaiah 43:1-2, 18-19; Psalm 139:7-10 Friends, I’m so excited to travel with all of you, virtually, to Hawaii this morning. As many of you know, these islands hold a special place in my heart because my family has been blessed with the opportunity to visit and spend time not only enjoying the sunshine… but…