I have a few go-to websites and resources for church work. And I thought I’d share and encourage you to list your own in the comments! (These come in no particular order) 1) The Text This Week (http://www.textweek.com/): This is a lectionary resource that has a wonderful compilation of prayers, commentaries, articles, music, and ponderings from…
full of weeds
A week and a half ago I found about five hours to prepare and plant my vegetable garden. The spot was mostly cleared – we had burned leaves on the garden in the fall and so there was very little growth of weeds in the spot in the meantime. I did some careful tilling with…
Already/Not Yet
Every Friday night we have dinner with the family – as we all set the table and prepare for everyone to come to the table and sit, and especially as all of the food is there and we are just waiting for the time to pray, my niece and nephew like to sneak bites from the…
The trials of being a female pastor
Memo to other young women clergy out there: don’t wear a skirt to a graveside service. I have this amazing, comfortable, beautiful a-line skirt that I wear for many many many important and solemn events. It works perfectly with a black sweater or jacket and has a wonderful touch of femininity and reverence. But it…
Down to the River to Pray
The last few days have been simply overwhelming in my life. The first reason is that there is just a lot to do. My weekend was jam packed full of good church related things like a Holy Spirit filled training with leaders from my church and a beautiful celebration of marriage and excitement about renovations…
I’m being ordained!!!
For two and a half years, I have been serving a congregation faithfully as a provisional elder in the United Methodist Church. And on June 6, I will be ordained at our Iowa Annual Conference and I will become an elder in full connection. This whole process started back in 2002, when I was a…
Zen and the Art of Car Maintenance
I was pleasantly surprised to find that my friend Sean and I have been reading the same book – Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values (P.S.) I had started it once, and as I’m planning on purchasing a car in the near future, thought it might be good to pick up…
outline preaching
Some weeks are hard for preaching. I usually am able to take the time to get into the texts and to prayerfully discuss them with colleagues and to stew over the gospel message as I do the things that it takes to be the church… and other things as well. But some weeks, there is…